I don’t know if it was his plan or simply that he needed my small hands and spindly arms, but when Dr Don Hudson guided me through helping a gilt deliver her first litter when I was six years old, he started me on my path to becoming a swine veterinarian. My entire life has been about animal agriculture – in particular, pig production. From growing up on my family’s pig farm, studying animal science and veterinary medicine, serving farmers as a practicing veterinarian, supporting the animal health sector of our food system, and volunteering with many organizations; swine health, the well-being of my peers, and welfare of animals has not only been my vocation but my passion. It is my way of life.
Confucius teaches us, “If your plan is for one year, plant rice. If your plan is for ten years, plant trees. If your plan is for one hundred years, educate children.” I believe we are all “children” – life-long learners.
Just as Dr Hudson and many others invested in me as a young person interested in veterinary medicine, I desire to ensure the American Association of Swine Veterinarians (AASV) invests in all of us “children” as we prepare for the future of our careers and the swine industry. As a candidate for AASV Vice President, I would be honored to apply my knowledge, skills, and experiences to the future of our organization. As an elected leader of AASV, I will work to ensure the AASV continues to be inclusive and uplifting for all members. And I look forward to working with my fellow board members, committee leaders, and professional staff as, together, we provide visionary leadership for the long-term success of AASV.
I believe my educational, professional, and volunteer experiences will allow me to fulfill this role. I earned my doctor of veterinary medicine in 1992 from the University of Missouri-Columbia College of Veterinary Medicine. After graduation, I began my professional career as an associate veterinarian at Sutton Veterinary Clinic in Sutton, Nebraska. In 1995 I began my master’s degree in epidemiology at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) and served as the interim state swine extension veterinarian. Since completing my master’s degree, I have worked as a swine technical services veterinarian with ALPHARMA and Boehringer Ingelheim, a self-employed swine consultant, and a Health Assurance Veterinarian with Pig Improvement Company (PIC).
Today, many within AASV know my calling is animal welfare. My interest in focusing on animal welfare arose during my seven years as Vice President of On-farm Food Safety and Animal Welfare for Farmland Foods (Smithfield). I apply the skills and knowledge I have developed in this space in my current role as Animal Welfare Lead, North America, for all species at Merck Animal Health. In this role, I work across the food chain, retail to producer, to foster trust, promote science, and advocate for animal agriculture.
Like many swine veterinarians, I cannot sit still very long. In addition to my role at Merck Animal Health, I have completed a master’s degree in international animal welfare, ethics and law at the University of Edinburgh in December 2021 and will pursue board certification in the American College of Animal Welfare. Now I am pondering what to pursue next because life-long learning is a habit that one should never give up!
Professionally, I have served as a member of the animal welfare committees for the American Veterinary Medical Association, North American Meat Institute, National Pork Board, American Association of Bovine Practitioners, and, of course, the AASV. I am also a past chair (2x), a current member of the board of directors for the Professional Animal Auditor Certification Organization, and a past member of the AASV board. I also serve on the board of the International Poultry Welfare Alliance.
My husband, Jerry, an agronomist, farmer, and small business owner, and our two sons, Isaac, a computer science major and member of the UNL Marching Band, and Sam, an enlisted member of the Nebraska Army National Guard and future UNL student, call Bruning, Nebraska home. As a family, we are active in the Hebron Nebraska Bible Church, American Legion, Legion Auxiliary, Boy Scouts of America, the National FFA Organization, and many community activities.
I am humbled to be considered and welcome the opportunity to serve AASV. Service is in my heart, and I am here for the members of AASV.
LinkedIn Profile: www.linkedin.com/in/angela-baysinger-a8065419
Angela Baysinger, DVM, MS, MSc