Media contact: Scott Elliott, 202-720-7185
WASHINGTON, D.C. April 3, 2017 – The U.S.
Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture
(NIFA) today announced $2.4 million in available funding to relieve veterinarian shortage situations and support
veterinary services. Funding is made through NIFA’s Veterinary
Services Grant Program (VSGP), authorized by the 2014 Farm Bill.
“Veterinarians play significant
roles in assuring animal health and wellbeing, food safety and security, public
health, and producer profitability, especially in rural areas of the country
where most livestock production occurs,” said NIFA Director Sonny Ramaswamy. “VSGP
supports education and extension activities that will help veterinarians,
veterinary students, veterinary technicians, and veterinary technician students
gain specialized skills and provide practices with additional resources."
The Veterinary
Services Grant Program supports development, implementation,
and sustainability of veterinary services to relieve veterinarian shortage
situations in the United States and insular areas. Grants
will be made available on a competitive basis to:
- Establish
or expand accredited veterinary education programs, veterinary residency and
fellowship programs, or veterinary internship and externship programs carried
out in coordination with accredited colleges of veterinary medicine.
- Provide
continuing education and extension, including veterinary telemedicine and other
distance-based education, for veterinarians, veterinary technicians, and other
health professionals needed to strengthen veterinary programs and enhance food
safety.
- Cover
travel and living expenses of veterinary students, veterinary interns, externs,
fellows, and residents, and veterinary technician students attending training
programs in food safety or food animal medicine.
Eligible applicants for education, extension and training programs
include: state,
national, allied or regional veterinary organization or specialty board
recognized by the American Veterinary Medical
Association; college or school of
veterinary medicine accredited by the Association
of American Veterinary Medical Colleges; university
research foundation or veterinary medical foundation;
department of veterinary science or department of comparative medicine
accredited by the Department of Education; state
agricultural experiment station; or state,
local or tribal government agency.
Eligible applicants for rural practice enhancement programs
include for-profit
or nonprofit entities or individuals operating veterinary clinics in rural
areas and veterinarian
shortage areas
as specified in the request for applications.
The
deadline for applications is May 19, 2017.
See the request for
applications
for details.
In 2016, the first year NIFA implemented VSGP, the
agency awarded $2.3 million to support rural veterinary services in 11 states.
Among them, the American Association of Bovine Practitioners in Opelika, Alabama will offer a two-year intensive training program to help practitioners manage and
grow their business. Utah
State University will offer workshops, technical training, and
mentorship to strengthen the diagnostic skills of early career rural practitioners.
NIFA invests in and advances agricultural research,
education and extension and promotes transformative discoveries that solve
societal challenges. NIFA support for the best and brightest scientists and
extension personnel has resulted in user-inspired, groundbreaking discoveries
that combat childhood obesity, improve and sustain rural economic growth,
address water availability issues, increase food production, find new sources
of energy, mitigate climate variability and ensure food safety. To learn more about NIFA’s impact on
agricultural science, visit www.nifa.usda.gov/impacts, sign up for email
updates or follow us on Twitter @USDA_NIFA, #NIFAimpacts.
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employer.
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