01/29/08 Cattlemen support food animal veterinarian tuition bill

Washington Ag January 29, 2008 A shortage of food animal veterinarians has the Washington Cattlemen's Association and Washington Cattle Feeders Association supporting legislation that would provide financial assistance to Food Animal Practitioners that graduate from Washington State University's College of Veterinary Medicine. Jack Field, Executive Vice President of the Washington Cattlemen's Association explains Senate Bill 6187 and House Bill 2432. Field: "The bill is designed to set up a scholarship that will select students that demonstrate a need and desire to come out and serve in the large animal practice to take care of beef and dairy cattle. Hopefully that have some type of agricultural background. Trying to find a way to keep the best and brightest here in Washington state and in the large, food animal practice instead of having them go to small animal practice, which may not be as advantageous to our livestock industry." The Senate Committee on Higher Education says the average veterinary student graduates with a debt of over 90-thousand dollars. I'm Bob Hoff.