Iowa State University is participating in an initiative to increase the number of veterinarians working in rural areas, according to a news release. Nine schools, including ISU, are taking part in the Veterinary Workforce Solutions Program from Farm Journal Foundation, backed by support from the Zoetis Foundation. The pilot program assists students with such issues as engaging with rural communities and financial planning. “Providing animal health care solutions to rural America is an animal health, human health, food security and economic imperative,” Dan Grooms, dean of veterinary medicine at Iowa State, said in a prepared statement. “The Veterinary Workforce Solutions Program is a tool in our toolbox to help address this imperative.” There is a shortage of veterinarians to treat livestock and poultry in rural areas, the news release said.