I’m Dr. John Clifford, Chief Veterinary Officer for the USDA and the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) Deputy Administrator for Veterinary Services. Over nearly the last 26 years I’ve had the pleasure of holding numerous positions within the agency. Here’s my story on how I got to where I am today.
I was born in Bowling Green, Ky. and my desire to become a veterinarian began while growing up on the family farmstead near Brownsville. We raised mainly beef cattle and I always liked working with them. There was one local veterinarian who would come out two or three times a year to our farm. The highlight of the visits for me was being his assistant. I learned to work the cattle and about vaccination and preventative treatments. Those few encounters ignited a hankering that culminated with my career in veterinary medicine.
