IVET - Food Animal Veterinarian Program
Apply for the Illinois Farm Bureau Food Animal Veterinarian Loan Program
Register by the May 15th deadline
- Are you a second-year veterinary student with a passion to work in food animal medicine?
- Do you need help financing your education?
If you answered yes, Illinois Farm Bureau's (IFB) Illinois Veterinary Education Training (IVET) Program might be a good fit for you!
IFB realizes the financial barriers that veterinary students face. Our IVET Program helps offset the high cost of veterinary education while encouraging the next generation of veterinary professionals to work in Illinois. IFB established IVET in 2005. Since then, the organization has awarded more than $590,000 to 28 veterinary students who focus on caring for food animals in Illinois.
How does the IVET loan program work?
The IVET Program offers low interest loans up to $40,000, to as many as three veterinary students each year. Loans are paid to recipients for a period of two to three years and are payable over 5 years after graduation. IVET also awards recipients a $1,500 stipend during their fourth year in school to help pay expenses associated with clinical rotations. Eligible applicants must be attending an accredited college of veterinary medicine in the U.S. and must commit to an Illinois food animal practice and work in this field for five years.
Hear from past loan recipients:
Additional details:
| “Illinois Farm Bureau encourages veterinary students to pursue a career in caring for food animals. To succeed, farmers need the services of a food animal veterinarian to help them care for their beef cattle, swine, sheep and poultry. It’s an opportunity to help bring a calf into the world and share in the love that farmers have in caring for their animals.” - Tasha Bunting, IFB associate director of commodities and livestock programs. |
- Applications open in March and are due May 15.
- The selection committee interviews applicants each spring.
- Successful applicants will be notified by mail.
- Loan disbursements begin in August.
For more information about the program, contact Tasha Bunting at 309-557-2993 or tbunting@ilfb.org.
Congratulations to the 2022 IVET loan recipient
Brandi Welch, a third-year student at the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine from Mercer County, was selected as this year’s recipient of the Illinois Veterinary Education and Training (IVET) loan program.
The Illinois Farm Bureau IVET program provides loans to veterinary students attending any accredited college of veterinary medicine in the U.S. who are focusing on Illinois food animals.
Welch will receive the IVET loan at the full amount of $40,000 along with a $1,500 stipend during her fourth year to help pay expenses associated with clinical rotations.
“Illinois Farm Bureau encourages veterinary students to pursue a career in caring for food animals,” said Tasha Bunting, IFB associate director of commodity and livestock programs. “To succeed, farmers need the services of a food-animal veterinarian to help them care for their cattle, swine, sheep and poultry. It’s an incredibly rewarding career field that has seen an increase in demand in recent years.”
The demand along with a passion for working with animals are among key reasons Welch wanted to become a veterinarian.
“Becoming a veterinarian was a goal my 16-year-old-self wanted to achieve,” Welch told FarmWeek. “I grew up in agriculture and loved horses, but later I found a sincere interest in beef production, swine and small ruminants.
“There is certainly a large animal veterinary shortage in my rural hometown area,” she noted. “It is my goal to offer education and quality medicine to the clients and patients I will serve.”
Welch said she’s thankful to IFB for the assistance and support to help her and others provide veterinary care for livestock farms in the state.
“Being an IVET loan recipient is an excellent opportunity for veterinary students to borrow money at a low interest rate (2%) while also upholding a commitment to Illinois farmers by practicing large animal medicine upon graduation,” she said.
IVET program recipients agree to work with food animals in Illinois for a minimum of five years to give back to their communities.
IFB established IVET in 2005. Since then, the organization has awarded more than $550,000 to 27 veterinary students who focus on caring for food animals in Illinois.