Rural vet shortage requires solutions

Opinion editor's note: Editorials represent the opinions of the Star Tribune Editorial Board, which operates independently from the newsroom.

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Dr. Robert Bogan tried giving away his practice to entice a new veterinarian to the rural southern Minnesota county where he's lived and worked for decades.

But the generous offer wasn't enough to prevent Bogan's young, hand-picked successor from moving elsewhere after starting in 2022. So Bogan, now 76, shelved his retirement plans and is back to being the only veterinarian whose clinic is located in Faribault County. That means working Mondays through Fridays at the Makotah Veterinary Center in Blue Earth. And, taking the night and weekend emergency calls that come with providing care in a farming community.

Bogan pauses and offers a quiet response when asked "How long can you keep doing this?" His answer: "I don't know." Still, he's optimistic. "My dad made hay when he was 80," he told an editorial writer.

Blue Earth economic development officials are in overdrive trying to find another veterinarian, pointing out that this care is foundational for the success of farmers and the businesses that depend on them. Unfortunately, they face a grim reality — a nationwide shortage of veterinarians caring for large animals in rural areas.

Federal and state lawmakers must take heed because ongoing policy remedies and innovative incentives are urgently needed.

It isn't just agricultural communities' economic vitality at stake. Rural veterinarians typically do far more than take care of companion animals. Their responsibilities include cattle, poultry, hogs and other animals that provide the meat, eggs and dairy that fill grocery store shelves. Having enough veterinarians to care for these animals is critical to food security.

Just as there are medically underserved areas for humans, there are also federally designated "Veterinary Services Shortage Situations" areas for animal care. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) lists 15 in Minnesota.

That sounds like a modest number until closer scrutiny reveals that one area often encompasses multiple counties. Much of rural Minnesota falls into other shortage areas, with shortage areas spanning other states as well.

The challenge of finding a veterinarian to replace one who's retiring "will be felt all over Minnesota, and it won't take long," said Amy Schaefer, an economic development specialist with the city of Blue Earth.

A combination of factors appears to be driving the problem. Among them: shrinking rural populations, industry consolidation (dairy farms in particular) and the amount of student loan debt new graduates have. "The mean educational debt for all U.S. veterinary college graduates for 2020, including those without debt, was $157,146," according to the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA).

That daunting sum increases the lure of practicing small-animal medicine in urban settings where the benefits often include higher salaries and better work/life balance. There aren't calls on a cold winter night to assist a cow struggling to give birth.

Dr. Nancy Peterson, a New Ulm vet and past president of the Minnesota Veterinary Medicine Association, also points out that start-up costs and overhead for rural practices can be daunting. A "vet box" is a must. It contains the equipment and medicines to provide care on-site vs. at a clinic. It can cost thousands, and you need a vehicle to haul it.

U.S. Rep. Michelle Fischbach, a Minnesota Republican, merits praise for working with a bipartisan group to offer a modest but sensible remedy: improving the federal Veterinary Medicine Loan Repayment Program.

This competitive program will pay up to $25,000 a year for vets practicing for at least three years in a shortage area. Fischbach's bill would exempt the award from withholding taxes, hopefully getting more vets to apply. The bill is supported by the AVMA, which notes that under current tax policy, "37% of the federal funding provided to the program goes to the U.S. Treasury Department."

But much more needs to be done, and Minnesota lawmakers should act. The state also has a rural veterinarian student loan repayment program, and it should be expanded. The annual appropriation for the program is $375,000, which limits the number of vets who can benefit. A funding boost is in order.

Another promising state change pursued by Blue Earth officials: changing restrictive state laws regarding who can own a vet practice. If rural communities or a farmer co-op could own one, it might be possible to recruit a new practitioner who wants to focus on providing care and forgo the responsibilities of starting or running a clinic.

Legislators should hold a hearing on the rural veterinarian shortage and pursue solutions. Bogan still hopes to give away his practice to a younger vet. It's an extraordinary gesture but one that shouldn't be necessary.

Editorial Board members are David Banks, Jill Burcum, Scott Gillespie, Denise Johnson, Patricia Lopez, John Rash and D.J. Tice. Star Tribune Opinion staff members Maggie Kelly and Elena Neuzil also contribute, and Star Tribune CEO and Publisher Steve Grove serves as an adviser to the board.