New grants aim to steer young veterinarians to bovine medicine

St. Joseph, Mo.-National animal-health manufacturing and sales organization, AgriLabs, in collaboration with the American Association of Bovine Practitioners (AABP) and the National Dairy Shine, is offering young veterinarians two new grants in an effort to encourage interest in bovine medicine.

Starting in early April, veterinarians actively working with beef and dairy operations can vie for two $5,000 grants -- the AgriLabs Bruce Wren Continuing-Education Beef Award for Young Veterinarians and the National Dairy Shine Bruce Wren Young Veterinary Award.

Named in honor of the highly regarded practitioner, teacher, pathologist, and technical-services veterinarian, these awards are geared toward younger veterinarians in an effort to close the gap between supply and demand of bovine practitioners. “We found that after graduation, there really weren't many industry-sponsored awards or professional-development opportunities for veterinarians until they had spent many years in practice,” says Dr. M. Gatz Riddle, AABP executive vice president. “ Yet, the years after graduation are a key time when young veterinarians not only gain experience, but also are likely to decide whether to continue in herd-side practice or move into other career paths.”

The first two grants will be awarded in August 2010, with completed applications due June 15, 2010. Applicants must have graduated with a veterinary degree between June 1, 2000 and June 1, 2009 and will have to submit a professional-development plan, which describes how they'd use the grant to become a more valuable resource for their producer-clients.

For more information on how to apply for these awards, click here.