AASV member Dr. Eugene Ver Steeg (ISU ’66) was named the 2007 recipient of the Stange Award for Meritorious Service. The award is the highest honor given to alumni of Iowa State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine. The award will be presented during special ceremonies held by the university and the college on Oct. 19.
The Stange Award for Meritorious Service in Veterinary Medicine is named in memory of a long-time alumnus and former dean of the college. The award recognizes outstanding professional achievements in veterinary education, research, government service, or private practice.
Dr. Ver Steeg is well-known for his effective leadership and influential voice in animal agriculture and food supply veterinary medicine. A former mixed animal practitioner, Dr. Ver Steeg is owner and manager of Sunnycrest, Inc., a wean-to-finish operation that markets 18,000 hogs per year. He has used his education as a veterinarian and experience as a highly progressive pork producer and grain farmer to influence food and trade policy in Iowa, the United States and throughout the world.
Dr. Ver Steeg has served in leadership roles in animal agriculture at the local, regional and national levels. He is the immediate past president of the Iowa Pork Producers Association and has served several years as National Pork Act Delegate from Iowa. He is currently a member of the National Pork Producers Farm Bill Task Force Committee and the Animal Welfare Policy Committee. He also serves on the National Pork Board Food Safety Committee. Dr. Ver Steeg also chairs the Iowa Pork Producers Public Relations Committee, the Public Policy Committee and the Animal Health/Animal Well-Being Committee.
He was a key leader in Iowa’s pseudorabies eradication efforts, and continues to be instrumental in working at the national and state levels to promote Iowa pork. He was named Iowa Master Pork Producer by the Iowa Pork Producers Association in 1995.
Locally, Dr. Ver Steeg is a member of the Lyon County Pork Producers, having served six years on the board and as president. He is also a member of the local and state Farm Bureau where he is a member of the Iowa Farm Bureau Swine Advisory Committee.
Since 1966, Dr. Ver Steeg has been a member of the Inwood Kiwanis and has served as the organization’s vice president and president. He is a former mayor of Inwood, Iowa.