Merck Animal Health awards $90,000 in scholarships to future bovine veterinarians

Merck Animal Health has awarded scholarships to nine veterinary students preparing for careers in bovine practice, reinforcing its ongoing partnership with the American Association of Bovine Practitioners Foundation and addressing industry workforce needs.

Merck Animal Health has awarded $90,000 in scholarships to nine veterinary students expected to move into bovine practice, continuing a long-running partnership with the American Association of Bovine Practitioners Foundation.

The awards, each worth $10,000, were presented at the 2026 AABP annual conference in Minneapolis. According to Merck Animal Health, the recipients were chosen for academic performance, career plans, practical experience and commitment to veterinary medicine.

This year’s scholars come from universities including Iowa State, Wisconsin, Cornell, Ohio State, Texas A&M, Purdue, Texas Tech and Kansas State, as well as Atlantic Veterinary College. Their backgrounds span family dairies, mixed-animal practice and hands-on work in cattle operations, underscoring the industry’s reliance on students with deep agricultural roots.

Dave Sjeklocha, Merck Animal Health’s technical services manager and a former AABP board president, said the company was proud to support the next generation of bovine veterinarians. Fred Gingrich II, executive director of AABP, said the partnership helps prepare talented students for careers in bovine medicine.

The award programme has become a recurring feature of the group’s support for food-animal veterinary talent. Merck also backed a similar scholarship round last year and, in earlier years, expanded the scheme to more students, reflecting a broader industry effort to address workforce needs in cattle health and production.