Program addresses critical shortage of veterinarians serving rural areas.

The Iowa Farm Bureau Federation (IFBF) is launching a student loan repayment incentive program to help attract and retain veterinarians in rural Iowa. 

The new Iowa Farm Bureau Rural Veterinarian Loan Repayment Program will award up to $25,000 in loan repayment incentives to four individuals who practice, or will practice, veterinary medicine in Iowa. Applications will be accepted beginning in March. 

The program aims to help address a critical shortage of rural veterinarians identified by Iowa livestock farmers and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). 

Pictured above Brent Johnson

“Veterinarians are valuable partners for Iowa’s livestock farmers who prioritize the health and well-being of their animals,” says Iowa Farm Bureau President Brent Johnson. 

“IFBF’s establishment of the Rural Veterinarian Loan Repayment Incentive Program will assist in addressing the veterinarian shortages in Iowa and guaranteeing future funding in­­centives, while also advancing the mission of Iowa Farm Bureau to support farm families and rural communities.”  

The IFBF program builds on other initiatives to increase the number of veterinarians practicing in Iowa. 

In 2020, Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds signed a bill into law to create the Rural Iowa Veterinarian Loan Repayment Program to address the critical veterinarian shortages in rural Iowa communities. Iowa Farm Bureau was one of several partners who led the push for the legislation. 

Since its inception, the state’s loan repayment program has been met with enthusiasm and a growing number of applications. However, with intensified veterinary shortages and the strong demand for existing veterinarian loan repayment programs, additional financial support is needed.  

Due to specific veterinarian shortages identified in Iowa by the USDA, and to best align with IFBF’s charitable giving priorities, preference will be given to applicants who are in their final year of a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) degree program; large animal veterinarians and/or those in a shortage area as identified by the USDA; graduates from an Iowa high school, technical school, college, university and/or institution; and individuals with demonstrated leadership skills, community involvement and/or a commitment to rural Iowa. 

Vet shortage areas

In 2024, the USDA identified 55 of Iowa’s 99 counties as veterinary shortage areas. The shortage is particularly acute among veterinarians who specialize in food animals. While the number of companion animal veterinarians increased by 22% over the last decade, the number of mixed animal and food animal veterinarians decreased by 15%, according to the American Veterinary Medical Association. 

“Currently, there is a shortage of veterinarians across the profession,” Dan Grooms, dean of Veterinary Medicine at Iowa State University (ISU), said last year while discussing an ISU program aimed at recruiting and educating students seeking to practice production animal medicine. 

“Here in rural areas of Iowa, where agriculture is extremely important to the economy and community, we’re looking for solutions where we can continue to provide health care, especially to the livestock industry, which depends on care for the health of their animals.”

Applicants for the Iowa Farm Bureau Rural Veterinarian Loan Repayment Program must commit to practicing in Iowa for four years and be an Iowa Farm Bureau member in good standing. Veterinarians who have re­ceived loan repayment awards through the National Veterinary Medicine Loan Repayment Program or Rural Iowa Veterinary Loan Repayment Program are ineligible.

The loan incentive is payable over four years toward outstanding federal subsidized or unsubsidized Stafford loan balances and Graduate PLUS loan balances. While preference is given to students in their final year of a DVM program, those who have earned a DVM degree within the past five years are eligible to apply. 

To learn more about IFBF’s Rural Veterinarian Loan Repayment Incentive Program or to apply, go to www.iowafarmbureau.com.