Here’s a roundup of news briefs from around Southwest and Southside. Send yours for possible inclusion to news@cardinalnews.org.
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Donation will fund expansion at vet school
A $4 million donation will enable expansion of the Veterinary Teaching Hospital, part of the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine on Virginia Tech’s campus in Blacksburg.
The donation comes from Karen Waldron and Shawn Ricci, who own and operate Bent Tree Farm, which opened in 1975 in Shawsville in Montgomery County. Bent Tree Farm breeds and trains horses that compete in carriage driving and horse shows across North America.
The $2 million donated to each service at the hospital will enable the hiring of a second emergency care veterinarian for large animals, bring in an additional critical care specialist for small animals, and support residents in equine and small animal care.
Hiring one dedicated emergency care equine veterinarian reduces the time other faculty must devote to emergency care. Hiring a second enables two veterinarians to handle the vast majority of emergency equine care.
“In large animal, this is going to have a huge impact because currently the large animal clinicians are covering emergencies,” said Tanya LeRoith, hospital director, in a statement. “They’re on during the day. They’re on at night. They have to come back the next day. They have to stay up the next night. And so sleep deprivation sets in. It will be good for their quality of life if there’s a separate service that is for emergencies, so those clinicians can one, sleep, and two, schedule routine cases.”
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Abingdon, Bath County and Cumberland County receive state ag grants
Abingdon, Bath County and Cumberland County are among the recipients of state grants aimed at promoting local food production.
The grants come through the Agriculture and Forestry Industries Development (AFID) Fund Infrastructure Grant. Receiving funds are:
Abingdon: $50,000 to enclose and heat the Abingdon Farmers Market, so it can be used as a year-round facility.
Bath County: $50,000 for The Village Kitchen, a commissary kitchen and food aggregator, to establish a “shared-use facility to provide local farmers and food-based businesses with tools and resources needed to scale their operations without bearing the prohibitive costs of individual facility investments.”
Cumberland County: $32,678 to upgrade the farmers market at the Luther P. Jackson Community Center.
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Public comment now open on wild turkey management plan
The Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources is seeking public review of the draft 2025-2034 Virginia Wild Turkey Management Plan.
This is the second revision of the state’s Wild Turkey Management Plan, with the first being completed in 2014. The revised plan will guide turkey management across the Commonwealth through 2034.
The draft plan is available for public review and comments on the DWR webpage. The deadline to comment is April 4.