Livestock producers in central florida will continue to face difficulty obtaining timely veterinary care because fewer veterinarians are available to serve livestock, producers often must travel…

The Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture awarded $176,188 to CFLA, LLC on September 1, 2026, under the Veterinary Services Grant Program (CFDA 10.336) to equip and operate a newly constructed veterinary treatment facility in St. Cloud, Florida that will serve livestock producers in central Florida while maintaining on-farm veterinary services for producers unable to transport animals.

The project will increase veterinary service capacity by 20–30 percent within three years, serve 75–100 new clients annually, and provide 3–5 educational or training opportunities each year for veterinary students, interns, and youth agricultural organizations. The facility will enable timely examinations, preventive care, diagnostic testing, treatment, and surgery for livestock, addressing persistent access barriers including veterinarian shortages, long travel distances, traffic congestion, and inadequate on-farm animal handling facilities that delay treatment and reduce animal health and productivity.

The award period runs through August 31, 2029. The assistance type is a Project Grant, supporting the program's dual purpose of developing and sustaining veterinary services through education, training, and expansion of veterinary practices in areas experiencing veterinarian shortages.

Livestock producers in central florida will continue to face difficulty obtaining timely veterinary care because fewer veterinarians are available to serve livestock, producers often must travel long distances for care, traffic congestion increases travel time, and many farms lack adequate facilities for safely handling animals. These challenges can delay treatment and preventive care, reduce animal health and productivity, and make IT harder for producers to maintain healthy livestock. Central florida large animal veterinary services will address these challenges by equipping a newly constructed veterinary treatment facility where livestock can be brought for care while also maintaining reliable veterinary services at farms for producers who cannot transport their animals. The project will increase the practice's ability to provide timely examinations, preventive care, diagnostic testing, treatment, and surgery; increase veterinary service capacity by 20-30 percent within three years; serve 75-100 new clients each year; and provide 3-5 educational or training opportunities annually for veterinary students, interns, and youth agricultural organizations. By improving access to veterinary care and making services more efficient, the project will help improve livestock health and welfare, support the needs of livestock producers, strengthen veterinary services in ruralregions, and contribute to a more resilient agricultural and food system in central florida.