The shortage of food animal veterinarians is a known and established concern for veterinary community, which carries an impact on the safety and security of our nation's animal-based protein supply

Texas Tech University System received a $250,000 Project Grant award dated September 15, 2025, from the Institute of Food Production and Sustainability under the Veterinary Services Grant Program (CFDA 10.336) to establish a sustainable postdoctoral research and food animal veterinary training program. The program, operating through Texas Tech University School of Veterinary Medicine in Amarillo with a clinical component in Hereford, Texas, delivers integrated clinical, research, and outreach services designed to address the documented shortage of food animal veterinarians in rural regions. The three-to-five-year program enables qualified candidates to obtain graduate degrees and qualify for board certification in food animal veterinary practice, preparing them for employment in academic and industry institutions while developing a pipeline of highly trained professionals capable of mentoring future veterinary students.

The program's impact extends beyond direct participant outcomes through anticipated indirect recruitment effects on veterinary students and professionals, with graduated participants positioned to influence workforce development across multiple generations. By locating this training initiative in rural America, the award supports workforce development objectives central to the Veterinary Services Grant Program's mission to relieve veterinarian shortage situations and strengthen veterinary capacity in underserved areas. The project completion date is scheduled for September 14, 2028.

Consequentially, this has perpetuated into the academic realm of currently needed professionals, compounding the issue is that fewer have experiences practicing in rural regions. In the absence of industry-competitive recruitment strategies and compelling postgraduate programs, the trajectory of food animal veterinary training may persist in fostering limited enthusiasm for engagement in food animal practice. The uniqueness of the current proposal is to build an attractive program in the heart of rural american to recruit and emphasize opportunities for future generations of food animal veterinarians. Therefore, we propose a remedy to address the shortages of food animal veterinary professionals. The aim for this? Proposal is to create a sustainable post-doctoral research and food animal veterinary training program which entails clinical, research, and outreach components through texas tech university school of veterinary medicine in amarillo, TX with a clinical component out of hereford, TX. This program is proposed to be a three-year to five-year program whereas acceptable candidates will be able to obtain a graduate degree and qualify for board certification, making these individuals highly desirable to academic and industry institutions. Graduated individuals are anticipated to have lasting impacts on numerous veterinary and non-veterinary students. This impact is likely to span over generations by directly and indirectly recruiting more individuals prior to and during their veterinary training to our profession.