There is an alarming shortage in large-animal veterinarians in Illinois. Illinois Farm Bureau wants to change that trend; so it created the Illinois Veterinary Education and Training (IVET) Loan Program. This one-of-a-kind program offers interest-free loans of up to $20,000 for food-animal vet students at the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine. This opportunity not only helps vets get started on a new career, it helps insure there are large animal vets available to assist farmers when needed.

Here’s how the program works. Three first-year veterinary students are awarded $5000 a year for four years. Semi-annual payments begin six months after graduation, and the loan is paid back over a five-year period at a fixed annual rate of 2%. Students qualifying for the loan must commit to a food animal practice and work in this field during the life of the loan repayment.

Download a brochure about this program. To learn more or to apply, contact Jim Fraley, at fraley@ilfb.org or call 309-557-3109.