Virginia gives $890,000 to 7 large animal vets as USDA finds rural shortages persist

A September report from USDA's Economic Research Service looked at counties designated as shortage areas under the Veterinary Medicine Loan Repayment Program (VMLRP). About 81% of rural counties were part of a shortage area at least once from 2010 to 2026, compared with 62% of urban counties. The report labeled 14% of US counties as persistent shortage counties because each had been nominated nine or more times.

A designation did not mean a veterinarian showed up. Of the shortage areas announced in 2024, 31% were filled and 59% got no applications.

Rural and urban practices have also moved in opposite directions financially. After adjusting for inflation, average revenue for rural food animal and mixed animal practices fell 22% from 2021 to 2025, while urban practices of the same type saw a 19% gain. Inflation-adjusted income for rural food animal veterinarians dropped 19% from 2017 to 2024. The authors noted that some of the survey samples behind the income figures are fairly small. They also warned that because most labor markets have so few food animal veterinarians, losing one to retirement can noticeably reduce local service.

Virginia's state veterinarian has found a large animal veterinarian shortage in every part of the commonwealth. In a 2024 Virginia Farm Bureau survey, 52% of livestock producers said their veterinary care was adequate. VDACS opened its grant program on July 1, 2025, after a state workgroup recommended grants. The money can go toward starting or expanding a practice, equipment, pay for associate veterinarians or technicians, and student loan repayment.

Thach Winslow, DVM, the state's large animal veterinary workforce coordinator, said grants to current practitioners can show results sooner while Virginia works on its longer-term pipeline. Two other workgroup proposals have not moved forward yet. A rule creating a pathway for haul-in large animal establishments was still in executive branch review as of January 2026. A budget amendment to pay for more Virginia resident seats at the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine did not pass.

Wisconsin lawmakers introduced a bipartisan bill that would have given recent graduates $25,000 a year in loan repayment, for up to four years, to practice in rural counties. The bill failed in 2026. Texas Tech's veterinary school said a $250,000 USDA grant will fund its first food animal residency. Clemson's veterinary college awarded full scholarships to six students from South Carolina's Pee Dee region.

At the federal level, USDA designated a record 243 shortage areas in 46 states for the 2026 VMLRP cycle. Veterinarians in the program commit to three years of service in exchange for student loan repayment. The next application period opens in February 2027, according to the Virginia announcement. The Rural Veterinary Workforce Act would stop the federal government from taxing VMLRP awards, but it has not moved beyond committee referral in either the House or the Senate.