DENVER – The Fort Dodge Animal Health Legacy Scholarship has received 158 applications from veterinary students across the nation in its first year.

The scholarship was announced at the 2008 Cattle Industry Annual Convention and is sponsored by the Fort Dodge Animal Health. The National Cattlemen’s Foundation administers the scholarship

The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association said in a statement that five scholarships of $5,000 each will be awarded at the Cattle Industry Summer Conference, which will be held July 15 through 19 in Denver. In addition to the scholarship, all five recipients will receive an expense-paid trip to attend the conference.

In the veterinary scholarship award division, 110 scholarship applications from 29 veterinary schools from across the country were submitted. To be eligible for the award, the student must have designated an interest in bovine practice, the trade group said. In the undergraduate division, 48 applications were submitted from 28 colleges or universities or from across the country.

“We are extremely pleased with the number of applicants for these scholarships,” said Bob Josserand, chair of the foundation’s board of trustees. “The number of applicants represents the great demand for educational assistance and the interest that our young people have in veterinary bovine practice and production.”