Grant funding applications are now open for large animal veterinarians looking for financial support to serve livestock owners in the Commonwealth.
The Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS) opened the VDACS Large Animal Veterinary Grant Program application period on July 15 for applications from large animal veterinarians who provide veterinary services for livestock, poultry, or equines. This is the second year of the program.
VDACS will provide four recipients with up to $110,000, disbursed over three years to support large animal veterinary services across the Commonwealth. The Virginia Tobacco Region Revitalization Commission (TRRC) is working alongside VDACS to further extend large animal veterinarian incentives in Southern and Southwest Virginia. Up to three applicants from the pool will be awarded Tobacco Commission grants up to $150,000 over five years to practice in TRRC service areas. The deadline for applications to be considered for all grants is Sept. 1, 2026.
“We’re proud of the positive impact the VDACS Large Animal Veterinary Grant Program is already having in the Commonwealth’s rural communities,” said Dr. Charlie Broaddus, State Veterinarian. “We saw in the first year of the program in 2025 how many deserving candidates we have who are committed to practicing large animal veterinary care in the Commonwealth, and we’re pleased the General Assembly has approved these funds for a second year.”
There is a national shortage of large animal veterinarians, who face financial sustainability challenges like education and practice start-up costs, staff retention, equipment and medication, and travel costs across rural areas. In 2025, four large animal veterinarians in Luray, Galax, Rockbridge Baths, and Suffolk, Va., received funds from VDACS. Three veterinarians in Scott County, Galax, and Gretna, were awarded funds from TRRC.
The Large Animal Veterinary Grant was established by the General Assembly in 2025 in response to a multi-year effort from stakeholders like VDACS, TRRC, the Virginia Board of Veterinary Medicine, the Virginia Veterinary Medical Association, Virginia Tech, and Virginia Farm Bureau Federation, to assess potential solutions to stabilize the number of large animal veterinarians in the Commonwealth. With agriculture being Virginia’s largest private industry, the availability of large animal veterinarians in agricultural and rural regions is critical to the economy, farm operations, food safety, and animal health.
The grants can be used for a wide range of practice needs, including but not limited to equipment purchase, staff salary, student loan repayment, and service area travel expenses. Application requirements and other details can be found at https://www.vdacs.virginia.gov/animals-large-animal-veterinary-grant.shtml.
Grant recipients will be chosen by a panel of industry representatives using a standardized scoring rubric. The judging panel will include the State Veterinarian as well as representatives from TRRC, the Virginia Board of Veterinary Medicine, Virginia Farm Bureau, Virginia Cooperative Extension, Virginia Academy of Food Animal Practitioners, and Virginia Veterinary Medical Association.
Both grant programs are assisted by the Virginia Large Animal Veterinary Workforce Coordinator, a new position at the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine at Virginia Tech that is being jointly funded by Virginia Cooperative Extension and TRRC. Serving in this new role is Dr. Thach Winslow, who will work across the state to grow and sustain the community of veterinarians in large animal practice.
