Legendary veterinarians nominated for industrywide honor

Five individuals, representing more than 200 years of service in cattle production medicine, have been selected by their peers as nominees for the Cattle Production Veterinarian Hall of Fame.

The Cattle Production Veterinarian Hall of Fame was established in 2011 to celebrate the rich traditions of production veterinary medicine by honoring the exceptional men and women who have made lasting contributions to the veterinary profession.

“This year’s nominees are true pioneers in cattle production medicine,” said Mark Spire, D.V.M., technical services manager for Merck Animal Health. “Each nominee deserves this prestigious award because of how his work has changed the landscape of the industry.”

Five organizations sponsor the hall of fame including the American Association of Bovine Practitioners (AABP), the Academy of Veterinary Consultants (AVC),
Bovine Veterinarian, Merck Animal Health and Osborn & Barr.

The voting process
Inductees will be selected by their peers, and all AABP and AVC members are eligible to vote for one beef and one dairy veterinarian. Voting begins April 13 during the AVC business meeting in Washington, D.C.
Voting will continue until Aug. 4, 2012, through the following methods:

• In person at the AVC spring and summer conferences: April 12 – 14 in Washington, D.C., and August 2 – 4 in Kansas City, Mo.
• Online at www.aabp.org/halloffame and www.avc-beef.org

One beef and one dairy veterinarian will be inducted into the Hall of Fame at a banquet Sat., Sept. 22, during the annual AABP convention in Montreal. The award winners will join inaugural inductees Drs. Harold Amstutz and Dan Upson in the Hall of Fame.

Beef nominees

• Dr. John Herrick was an Iowa native and received his bachelor’s, master’s and veterinary medical degrees from Iowa State University. He practiced large-animal medicine before returning to Iowa State University, where he spent 35 years as a professor of veterinary clinical science and extension veterinarian. He pioneered the concept of preconditioning programs for weaned calves, which led to the Iowa “Green Tag” program. Dr. Herrick played a leading role in starting the American Association of Swine Veterinarians, the Society for Theriogenology, the use of artificial insemination and semen production standards. He also is known for his work on brucellosis and mastitis. He was a past president of American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), Iowa Veterinary Medical Association and the American Association of Extension Veterinarians. Until his death in 2007, Dr. Herrick spent his retirement years as an animal-health consultant in Paradise Valley, Ariz.
• Dr. Don Williams is a Texas native and received his veterinary medical degree from Texas A&M University. After 18 years in private practice in Texas and Oklahoma, he became the first company veterinarian for Hitch Enterprises in Guymon, Okla. He later moved into feedlot management for Henry C. Hitch Feedlot. Dr. Williams developed the first national preconditioning program and was instrumental in developing large-scale cattle health programs, feedlot personnel training and scientific-based approaches to animal-health management. He is a founding member of AVC and served on the organizing board of AABP. Dr. Williams also served as president of the Oklahoma Veterinary Medical Association, AABP and the National Cattlemen’s Foundation.

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