Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen announced a new program through the state Department of Labor to assist and retain production animal veterinarians in rural Nebraska. This program, as well as the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s Elite 11 program, aims to address the existing gap in production animal veterinary practices and livestock numbers in rural areas.

“As I say, we feed the world and save the planet. We need to provide maximum efficiency and resources to help our producers be successful,” said Gov. Pillen. The Rural Veterinarian Grant Program will award $150,000 grants to recent veterinary school graduates or practicing veterinarians willing to move to rural Nebraska. Applicants must hold a doctor of veterinary medicine, be licensed to practice in Nebraska, and commit to residing and practicing in the state for at least eight years. Eligible veterinarians must work in a clinic where at least 80% of services are devoted to production animals in a county with fewer than 40,000 residents.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Veterinary Shortage Situations map, several Nebraska counties, including Chase, Knox, Burt, Frontier, Cherry, Scotts Bluff and Morrill, face high-priority shortages of private practice veterinarians in food animal medicine. These counties and surrounding areas depend heavily on the beef industry. An incorrect ratio of veterinarians to livestock leaves cattle, swine and small ruminants at increased risk of disease and injury. The shortage of rural veterinarians can be seen at clinics across the state.

FINDING HELP

Dr. Jennifer Elliott is a veterinary practitioner in Sidney, Neb., and knows this burden firsthand. She opened her clinic, Creekside Animal Hospital, in June 2016 and has worked here as a solo practitioner ever since. “There have been few times I feel I have been understaffed in regards to support staff at my clinic,” Elliott said. “As for clinic understaffing in terms of DVM help, that is a little different story.”
Elliott was on emergency on-call for the majority of the first eight years she worked at the clinic. When she was on maternity leave to have her two children, she was fortunate to find a few relief veterinarians who provided enough support during those periods to keep clients taken care of. However, finding a veterinarian to help her out full-time hasn’t been easy.

“I have not found a way to continuously provide full-time and emergency care with any other veterinarian that has been employed to this date,” Elliott said. “It is becoming more difficult for me to continue an on-call emergency basis of 24/7 care when I also so passionately want my family to feel they are being supported and cared for as well.”

Work-life balance and the shortage of production veterinarians make working in rural areas like Nebraska difficult, especially for new veterinarians. Elliott and others are almost constantly looking for another veterinarian to be on staff. “The only way I feel I may be comfortable with prioritizing these two very important aspects in my life would be to hire a second full-time veterinarian who is also willing to equally prioritize and share this burden with me,” Elliott said.

Although another veterinarian on staff would be helpful, Elliott works hard to prioritize her clients. “Up to this point, I have not allowed understaffing to affect my clinic,” Elliott said. “Understaffing is usually felt more heavily by the employees than the clients in my personal experience.”

NATIONWIDE ISSUE

Nebraska isn’t the only state with a shortage of rural veterinarians. The American Veterinary Medical Association reported that 71% of the 86,251 clinical practices in the U.S. are companion animal-only practices. Less than 3,000 vet clinics nationwide specialize in food animal practice. AVMA also reported that over the last decade, the number of mixed and food animal veterinarians decreased by 15% while companion animal veterinarians increased by 22%.
This grant program hopes to help with the financial burden of vet school for production animal specialists and the cost of opening a clinic. It also incentivizes graduates to move to rural Nebraska, where the need is great. The average cost of vet school in the United States is $155,000 to $436,000 over four years. “I do feel school costs are outrageous and obscene in many cases, especially with the interest that is applied to most of the school loans made available to students,” Elliott said. “I know many colleagues, even from my graduating class, who are exceptional veterinarians and work continuously as I have, but have not made a dent on their school loans and continue to add to them due to interest rates.” The Rural Veterinarian Grant Program is more than just a financial incentive — it’s a strategic investment in Nebraska’s rural agricultural future. By directly addressing the veterinarian shortage in key livestock-producing areas, the state is aiming to preserve the health of its herds. For veterinarians like Elliott and many others across the state, this program could provide not just relief, but also the hope of shared workload, sustainable careers and stronger rural roots.