BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – Illinois Farm Bureau® (IFB) is accepting applications for its Illinois Veterinary Education and Training (IVET) loan program. Loans are available to second-year veterinary students attending any accredited college of veterinary medicine in the U.S. and who are focusing on Illinois food animal medicine.

The Illinois Veterinary Education Training (IVET) Program helps offset the high cost of veterinary education. The program loans up to $40,000 to as many as three veterinary students each year. Loans are made over a period of two to three years. IVET awards recipients a $1,500 stipend during their fourth year in school to help pay expenses associated with clinical rotations. Loans are repaid over five years, during which graduates must commit to working in a food animal practice that services Illinois livestock producers.

“Illinois Farm Bureau encourages veterinary students to pursue a career in caring for food animals,” said Tasha Bunting, IFB director of commodity programs and food systems. “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 incredibly rewarding career field that has seen an increase in demand in recent years.”

Applications are due May 15, 2024, and can be found online at www.ilfb.org/IVET. The selection committee will interview eligible applicants in spring 2024. Successful applicants will be notified by mail. Loan disbursements begin in August.

IFB established IVET in 2005. Since then, the organization has awarded more than $610,000 to 29 veterinary students who focus on caring for food animals in Illinois.

For more information about the program, contact Tasha Bunting at 309-557-2993 or tbunting@ilfb.org.

The Illinois Farm Bureau is a member of the American Farm Bureau Federation, a national organization of farmers and ranchers. Founded in 1916, IFB is a non-profit, membership organization directed by farmers who join through their county Farm Bureau. IFB has a total membership of more than 372,326 and a voting membership of 77,462. IFB represents three out of four Illinois farmers.