Travis England of Hart County, Ellie Gripshover of Logan County and Luther Parker of Henry County were recently named recipients of the 2011 Kentucky Large/Food Animal Veterinary Incentive Program. As winners of the annual incentive, each will be awarded with up to $18,000 over three years for payment toward outstanding school loans.

All three recipients are doctoral graduates of Auburn University and practicing as large-animal veterinarians in Kentucky.

England, of Hardyville, completed his undergraduate degree in Animal Science at Western Kentucky University. He currently works at Thomas Veterinary Services in Smiths Grove, specializing in large animal surgery and medicine, as well as helping operate a family dairy and tobacco farm.

Gripshover, of Auburn, completed her undergraduate degree in Animal Science at the University of Kentucky. She currently works at Logan County Animal Clinic in Russellville, providing medical, surgical and consultative services for large animals.

Parker, of Pleasureville, completed his undergraduate degree in Pre-Veterinary Medicine at the University of Kentucky. He currently works at the Henry County/Carroll County Animal Clinic in New Castle as a large animal veterinarian, as well as helping operate a family beef cattle farm.

The program, funded by the Kentucky Agricultural Development Fund and supported by several key Kentucky agricultural organizations, was developed to help alleviate shortages in the state’s large-animal medical workforce. Increasing the number of large-animal veterinarians, vet technicians and technologists within the Commonwealth is vitally important to the ongoing health of Kentucky’s livestock population. As several areas of Kentucky do not have a local veterinarian to attend to cattle, horses or other farm animals, this program was designed to encourage veterinary school graduates to pursue a career with large/food animals.

To qualify for the program, applicants must hold either a degree in veterinary medicine from an accredited college or university, or have completed an accredited two-year veterinary technician or four-year technologist program. All those considered for the incentive had to be in their first, second or third year of practice post-graduation and have chosen to pursue a veterinary career that devotes at least 50 percent of its time to large/food animals.

The Kentucky Farm Bureau Education Foundation administers this program on behalf of the Kentucky Cattlemen’s Foundation, which launched the initiative after receiving a $100,000 donation for the purpose of encouraging large-animal practice in the state. The Kentucky Agricultural Development Board later approved an additional $1 million investment for the program.