Labor is hard to find in the U.S. no matter the industry. Minnesota Senate Agriculture Committee Chair Aric Putnam and Moorhead Senator Rob Kupec recently met with University of Minnesota veterinary medicine students. Rural areas are facing extreme vet shortages because of the huge financial burden of veterinary school and that was part of the discussion. “It was a good conversation, but also kind of a scary one,” said Kupec. Large animal and food animal veterinary practices in rural areas are less profitable than companion animal practices. According to the American Veterinary Medical Association the average vet med student graduates with over $147,000 in debt. “They just can’t accrue more debt to take over that practice.” Kupec hopes to address this issue in future state legislative sessions.
