Farmers and livestock producers in our region face serious challenges in accessing timely veterinary care, especially for cattle, swine, sheep, and goats

Fewer veterinarians are choosing to work in rural areas, leaving many communities without reliable support when emergencies arise or when herds need ongoing health management. This shortage not only threatens animal health and farmer livelihoods, but also has broader impacts on food production, rural economies, and community well-being. The goal of this project is to strengthen veterinary services in our federally designated shortage area by retaining veterinarians, expanding access to continuing education, and ensuring reliable mobile services for on-farm care. We will use grant funding to help support a veterinarian's salary, provide up to $10,000 for professional training opportunities, and purchase a dependable vehicle to improve field service delivery. These efforts will allow our veterinary team to stay up-to-date with the latest practices, respond more quickly to emergencies, and cover a larger service area for local livestock producers.as a result, we expect to maintain veterinary staff in this shortage area, increase professional knowledge within our clinic, and provide more reliable and efficient care for more than 1,100 food animal producers. The anticipated impact will be healthier animals, stronger farm operations, and greater stability for the rural food supply chain. By addressing this veterinary shortage directly, this project will help ensure that livestock producers and their communities have the veterinary support they need to remain productive, sustainable, and resilient.