"In 2023, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced that the demand for veterinarian healthcare providers is at an all time high. That is especially true
for rural large animal care providers. In fact, the USDA found that five hundred (500) counties in forty-six (46) states are experiencing a critical shortage including critical shortages in Maine and Florida. Unfortunately, the shortage is predicted to deepen.

Cornell University’s College of Veterinary Medicine research found that only three to four percent of veterinarians are pursing agricultural practices. It’s a stark and troubling
contrast to forty (40) years ago when as many as forty (40) percent of veterinarians focused agricultural practices. The research is so troubling, it garnered the attention of Senators Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich) and Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) and twenty (20) of their colleagues who sponsored the 'Rural Veterinary Workforce Act' of 2023."