A critical shortage of food-animal veterinarians is unfolding across rural America. A 2023 Farm Journal Foundation study found more than 500 counties across the U.S. lack enough veterinarians to care for livestock. The pipeline of new graduates simply isn’t keeping up; only 3% to 4% of today’s veterinary students choose to practice food-animal medicine, compared to about 40% four decades ago.
Experts warn the shortage poses risks beyond farm gates. Veterinarians are a front-line defense for animal health, and without them, food production and U.S. food security could be at risk.
And even though USDA announced plans to address the shortage by announcing their own Rural Veterinary Action Plan in August, Nebraska was ahead of the curve, launching their own program last year.
Nebraska’s Homegrown Solution
The University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL), in partnership with Gov. Jim Pillen and state leaders, is working to reverse that trend through the Nebraska Elite 11 Veterinary Program.
“Through the governor and a lot of our state leaders who recognize the need for production animal health DVMs out in rural Nebraska … they partnered with us to identify and develop a scholarship program for these students,” says Deb VanOverbeke, head of UNL’s department of animal science.
The program specifically targets Nebraska students who aspire to practice large-animal veterinary medicine in rural communities.
Scholarships That Start Freshman Year
Unlike most programs that support students late in their training, Elite 11 identifies and supports them as soon as they step on campus.
“These cohorts start as freshmen in college … They’ve identified that they want to go down the path of practicing veterinary medicine in rural Nebraska with production animals,” VanOverbeke explains.
Each year, up to 20 incoming animal science or veterinary science students are accepted into the program. During their first two years, they receive scholarships covering 50% of tuition. After that, 11 students and two alternates are selected for full tuition scholarships during their junior and senior years.
Those selected also earn automatic admission into UNL’s preprofessional veterinary medicine program, run in partnership with Iowa State University.
A Long-Term Commitment
Financial barriers are one of the biggest deterrents for veterinary students. By providing tuition support early and guaranteeing a pathway forward, UNL hopes to ease that pressure.
“It’s going to take us eight years to get these students to be practicing veterinarians in rural Nebraska,” VanOverbeke says. “But so much of the student burden is financial. This scholarship gives them a way to see a path forward.”
The program also includes a major incentive after graduation. Students who practice in a rural Nebraska community for at least eight years in food-animal medicine become eligible for 100% loan forgiveness.
Students Already Seeing the Impact
For students like Sydney Hutchinson of West Point, Neb., the scholarship program has already changed her trajectory.
“I always knew I was interested in doing something with an agricultural background,” Hutchinson says. “I’ve showed livestock, helped with routine stuff on the farm, like vaccinations, pulled a few calves. Those things got me interested in veterinary medicine.”
Originally, Hutchinson planned to attend Kansas State University, but when she learned about UNL’s program, she changed course.
“Nebraska is home to me. That’s where I’ve always seen myself coming back to,” she says. “Having this program show up at just the right time worked out great.”
Now in her second year at UNL, Hutchinson says she knows her calling isn’t in small animal clinics, but in rural, large-animal work.
“Finding large-animal veterinarians is a struggle in the state, especially those that want to come back and work in rural areas,” she says. “Addressing that problem first and foremost is great. It’s going to have a great long-term impact on Nebraska and its ag industry.”
Building a Future for Rural Veterinary Medicine
By investing early in students, providing financial support and creating a clear career pipeline, Nebraska hopes to strengthen its veterinary workforce for years to come.
For Hutchinson, the investment feels personal.
“To have them investing in the next generation — it’s huge,” she says.
If successful, the program could provide a model for other states facing the same critical shortage of rural food-animal veterinarians.
