The Swine Health Information Center welcomed two new board members during their meeting held on July 29-30, 2024. Seth Krantz, DVM, Tosh Farms, and Jay Miller, DVM, The Maschhoffs, began their terms. Founding board member Daryl Olsen, DVM, AMVC, and Russ Nugent, PhD, concluded their service. Nugent joined the SHIC Board of Directors in 2021 and served as president for the year just completed. He was honored for his service with a plaque during SHIC’s June board meeting.
The new SHIC Board of Directors held an election of officers as well. Mark Schwartz, Schwartz Farms, was chosen to lead the SHIC Board as its chair. Paul Ruen, DVM, Fairmont Veterinary Clinic will be the vice chair for the organization and Kent Bang will again serve as secretary/treasurer. Other board members are Joseph Dykhuis, Gene Noem, Jeremy Pittman, DVM, and Pete Thomas, DVM. Megan Niederwerder, DVM, PhD, is SHIC’s executive director and Lisa Becton, DVM, MS, DACVPM, serves as associate director.
New Board Members
Seth Krantz discovered his passion for pigs and the swine industry while in college at the University of Tennessee – Martin. Summer jobs, including at Tosh Farms, and other work experience gave him an appreciation of not only pigs but the people who raise and care for them, leading to veterinary school at the University of Tennessee – Knoxville. After spending two years in practice with Carthage Veterinary Service, Krantz took the opportunity to return home to Tennessee as veterinarian at Tosh Pork. During his career, Krantz has appreciated SHIC’s mission and deliverables to the industry.
Krantz has a lot of appreciation for what the organization does and the service it provides producers. “New and emerging swine diseases are tricky. If we don’t have them in the back of our mind, it could be a problem,” he stated. “SHIC is a key source of resources we will need if we do have to respond to emerging diseases.”
Appointed to the SHIC Board of Directors by the National Pork Board, Krantz was excited to become a part of the organization. “Even in my limited experience so far, I have seen some of the new projects that are being initiated are really fantastic, specifically the work surrounding Japanese encephalitis virus. And really, the quality of the projects and the questions they are answering, and the information delivered out is really exciting, too,” he said.
Serving with industry organizations is important though Krantz says he really likes being a pig farmer more than anything. “I came for the pigs, but I stayed for the people. That’s where I found the most passion for the industry is the people I get to work with and folks raising pigs. It has become the driving force for what I do, the driving force for a robust industry that provides for people and that’s what I’m in it for,” he concluded.
Jay Miller grew up on a central Illinois farm and was very active in 4-H and FFA including a focus on raising and showing cattle. While at vet school at Kansas State University, he discovered an interest in pigs and the swine industry. Miller returned to Illinois where he worked at a traditional mixed animal practice then shifted to become a swine consultant. When it was time to move back closer to home, Miller established his own mixed animal practice which grew to have multiple locations and include five veterinarians.
While serving as a swine consultant, Miller met the team at The Maschhoffs, LLC, which launched a 16-year span of serving them as an advisor before joining them full-time as the director of health. This led to Miller becoming their vice president of health and operations then, in October 2023, president and CEO of the organization.
“While practicing, my passion was really for the success of my clientele,” he remembered. “I felt like I became everything from veterinarian to financial advisor, doing everything to help my clientele be successful.” Miller said he gravitates as much to the business part of an operation as the medicine.
Miller was asked to represent the American Association of Swine Veterinarians on the SHIC Board of Directors. “When Harry Snelson (AASV executive director) asked me to be part of the SHIC Board for AASV, I was absolutely excited to be part of it,” Miller stated. “Paul Sundberg was instrumental along with Daryl Olsen and the original board in establishing SHIC. And SHIC interacted with The Maschhoffs several times as they were working on the issues of biosecurity, emerging disease, and the PED outbreak. We were fortunate to have direct exposure to SHIC in those ways.”
One of SHIC’s strengths, per Miller, is connecting academic research to the producer. “I’m a big believer that you need to make decisions based on accurate information and facts. In this industry, the biological protein industry, it can be difficult to get to the bottom of issues and find the cause of problems. And I see The Maschhoffs as being a science-based biological protein company. SHIC has supported the industry in the same manner, using science to help solve problems and inform decisions for producers while understanding the economic impact of these issues to producers and the industry,” he observed.
Founding Board Member Daryl Olsen
Olsen saw the need and potential for SHIC when established in 2015. A member of its board of directors from day one, Olsen also served as the organization’s president for eight years. “In the very short time we’ve been in existence, we have come to play such a vital role in helping defend the health of our industry. I recommend people evaluate our performance. You’re going to understand that since receiving initial funding from the National Pork Board, we have filled a void and been very successful. We’re committed to protecting the US pig population,” he observed.
During his tenure with SHIC, Olsen credits his fellow board members, working group members, and staff for helping reach the goals set out when it was created. “I have been able to work with great people,” he remarked. “Paul and Megan are outstanding. And the board members I’ve served with have been great.”
While honored to be part of SHIC’s growth and contributions to the swine industry, Olsen believes having new board members adding their perspective and expertise is appropriate. Plus, he says, he will be able to be involved in the industry in new places.
To recognize his service to SHIC and the swine industry, Olsen was honored at the recent SHIC board meeting by current board president Mark Schwartz with a presentation and plaque.
The Swine Health Information Center, launched in 2015 with Pork Checkoff funding, protects and enhances the health of the US swine herd by minimizing the impact of emerging disease threats through preparedness, coordinated communications, global disease monitoring, analysis of swine health data, and targeted research investments. As a conduit of information and research, SHIC encourages sharing of its publications and research. Forward, reprint, and quote SHIC material freely. For more information, visit http://www.swinehealth.org or contact Dr. Megan Niederwerder at mniederwerder@swinehealth.org or Dr. Lisa Becton at lbecton@swinehealth.org.