A measure to establish a program to develop rural veterinarians and provide one-time funding is expected to be up before South Dakota legislators this week. Loren Pankratz, lobbyist for the South Dakota Pork Producers Council and Soybean Association, says the program is being launched at SDSU and calls for providing a tuition reduction for students from Minnesota.

He says it’ll be a few years before the program is actually up and operating.

Pankratz says there is a shortage of veterinarians in many rural areas and there is a need especially for those who work with cattle in South Dakota.

Pankratz says lawmakers will be quite busy the next few weeks as many bills will be introduced. He says with a new Governor and legislature it’s taken some time to ramp up bill consideration.