The WVMA and Food Armor Foundation were recently awarded grants through the United States Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture Veterinary Services Grant Program (VSGP). The VSGP focuses on two areas: education and rural practice enhancement.
The WVMA will use the grant to develop and facilitate the building of a veterinary medical mastermind program. The program will utilize the mastermind concept to provide individual professional development skills in areas such as leadership, business and communication. The goal of the program is to create an environment of shared group learning.
The grant awarded to the Food Armor Foundation will be used to support the Food Armor Veterinary Student Educational and Outreach Program. The goals of the program are to educate veterinary students in the areas of food safety, responsible drug use and antimicrobial stewardship in animal agriculture, and to provide them with skills to support a sustainable business model that can be used to enhance veterinary services in rural areas through implementation of Food Armor concepts on-farm.
The organizations will work in a collaborative way to ensure participants maximize value from both programs.
The VSGP was authorized by the 2014 Farm Bill and initial funding was appropriated in the FY 2016 budget. Program funding for FY2020 is estimated at around $3 million.