USDA awards $3M in 2020 to support rural veterinary services

The National Institute of Food and Agriculture within the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced in September that it had awarded nearly $3 million in grants to support rural veterinary services though the Veterinary Services Grant Program.

“VSGP helps to reduce the veterinarian shortage situations and support veterinary services,” according to the Sept. 2 issue of NIFA Update. “VSGP supports qualified entities to develop, implement, and sustain veterinary services through education, training, recruitment, placement, and retention of veterinarians, veterinary technicians, and students of veterinary medicine. Veterinarians are critical to America’s food safety and security, as well as to the health and well-being of both animals and humans.”

Grants went to the following 10 rural practices:

• Agrarian Veterinary Services, Buckingham, Virginia.
• Ark Veterinary Services, Sumter, South Carolina.
• Bar SL Veterinary Services, Edgewood, New Mexico.
• Crazy Mountain Veterinary Service, Harlowtown, Montana.
• Farm Call Vet, Muskogee, Oklahoma.
• Greenwood Veterinary Clinic, West Lebanon, Indiana.
• Leading Edge Veterinary Services, Hayward, Wisconsin.
• Mid-Michigan Equine Services, Laingsburg, Michigan.
• Monticello Veterinary Clinic, Monticello, Iowa.
• Thousand Hills Mobile Veterinary Services, Commerce, Georgia.

Among the grant recipients, Crazy Mountain Veterinary Service in Montana will use its funds to educate beef producers and young people on beef cattle veterinary medicine.

“During hands-on educational sessions, producers will learn what veterinary conditions they can effectively treat and what problems need prompt intervention by a veterinarian,” according to the grant objectives. “We also hope to inspire young people to consider beef production or food animal veterinary medicine as careers.”

Grants also went to the following seven educational projects:

• “Your practice now and next generation workshops,” American Association of Bovine Practitioners.
• “Online avian medicine course for veterinarians targeting small poultry producers to ensure early disease detection for animal/public health,” University of Kentucky.
• “Collaborative food animal diagnostician and anatomic pathology training grant,” University of Minnesota.
• “Show-Me VET ECHO: Veterinary Education and Training (VET) through Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes (ECHO) program,” University of Missouri.
• “Improving the sustainability of rural veterinarians through mentoring, targeted education, telemedicine, and monitoring of disease syndromes,” Texas A&M University.
• “Food Armor Veterinary Student Educational Program expansion: Reaching more food animal students and early graduate veterinarians across the United States,” Food Armor Foundation.
• “Building a veterinary medical mastermind: Leaning on each other to improve professional development skills,” Wisconsin VMA.