A quiet crisis is stirring across America’s pastoral heartlands: the shortage of veterinarians for large animals and rural farms. In Tennessee and beyond, farmers struggle to schedule care, and in the worst cases, animals suffer or die for lack of prompt veterinary attention
The shortage is especially acute in more remote counties, where travel distances, low pay and demanding schedules discourage new veterinarians from settling in.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Veterinary Action Plan, the average debt load for new veterinary graduates, more than $200,000 in 2024, is cited as a major barrier, as many opt for companion-animal practice in urban settings instead. The decline in large-animal veterinarians is not just a convenience issue; it affects disease detection, livestock productivity and food security…