USDA To Hold Listening Sessions on Rural and Federal Veterinary Workforces

Washington, D.C., September 23, 2025—On August 28, 2025, Secretary Brooke Rollins announced the Rural Veterinary Action Plan, a bold strategy to increase the number of rural food animal veterinarians across the United States and to bolster the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) veterinary workforce in its role to protect American ranchers, animals, and our food supply. The strategy includes the following actions:

• Enhance and streamline veterinary grant programs
• Analyze rural veterinary shortages to better understand the need
• Recruit and retain USDA veterinarians
• Catalog Federal resources available to veterinarians for starting a practice
• Work with and listen to stakeholders including vet schools to understand the barriers to entry and increase recruitment from rural areas

A low percentage of veterinary school students come from rural areas or express interest in rural practice, and an even lower percentage of recent veterinary school graduates enter into production animal medicine. These are concerning trends and exacerbate the rural veterinary shortage. As part of its stakeholder engagement on this important topic, USDA is holding two listening sessions this month to hear from key partners to determine what additional actions can be taken to reverse these trends and recruit veterinarians to USDA and rural areas. USDA agencies represented will include:

• National Institute of Food and Agriculture
• Economic Research Service
• Food Safety and Inspection Service
• Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
• Rural Development 

How To Register

Participants must register for the virtual listening session(s) in advance and indicate if they would like to verbally provide comments. The listening sessions will begin with a short update on the current veterinary landscape followed by stakeholder comments for the remainder of the meeting. To hear from as many participants as possible, we ask that speakers plan to limit their comments to 3 minutes or less. Participants and interested stakeholders unable to participate live may provide a written copy of their comments either before or after the listening sessions by sending them to eia@usda.gov.

To participate in a listening session, please register in advance using the link(s) below and provide your name, organization, and email address. Participants may register for either or both sessions, which will focus on identical topics. Once you submit your information, you will promptly receive an email that includes the webinar link. Each listening session will be recorded.

Monday, September 29 | 3:00–4:00 p.m. ET
Topic: Barriers to Entry and Increased Recruitment for Rural and Federal Veterinary Workforces

Register

 

Tuesday, September 30 | 3:00–4:00 p.m. ET
Topic: Barriers to Entry and Increased Recruitment for Rural and Federal Veterinary Workforces

Register

 

Contact: eia@usda.gov