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Greetings to all the membership from here in southeastern
Indiana!
To put this letter in perspective I am writing it on April 15th, which
is tax day. The news was not too bad from the accountant this year so it
looks like I will continue in this business for awhile.
The AASP Annual Meeting in Quebec City was a tremendous
success. Again, I would like to thank everyone involved for their participation
both in attending as well in helping put on the program. It is a big job
that could not be done without all the help of the various committee members,
speakers, and AASP staff. I would like to take this opportunity to thank
Tom Neuzil for not only the help at this year's program, but in the past
years also. Tom's support and hard work will be missed. Good luck in your
endeavors in the future, Tom! |
Larry Rueff
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Rick Tubbs is already busy putting plans in place for next year's program.
The Program Committee has been assigned and will be meeting at World Pork
Expo which is to be held in Indianapolis this year. If you have sugestions
for speakers or topics that you would like to see included in the program,
please give Rick Tubbs a call, drop him a fax, or send an email message
to rtubbs@earthlink.com. All input
is very valuable to the Program Committee in setting up the Annual Meeting.
Next year's meeting is going to be in Des Moines and we look forward to
the outstanding job that I know Rick is going to do.
Congratulations to Al Scheidt on being elected vice president. I have
known Al for a long time and know that his dedication not only to the swine
industry but to the AASP runs deep and that he will do a good job representing
our organization.
I'm interested by the professional diversity represented on our Executive
Board. I think it illustrates how we are a changing and diverse organization.
I am a private practitioner, as is Rick Tubbs (who was recently in academia),
Al Scheidt works in industry, and our past president Howard Hill is the
staff veterinarian for a large integrator. I think your Executive Board
represents the diversity that exists in swine practice and helps our organization
reflect and serve a membership that is represented among these broad areas
of swine veterinary medicine.
The pork industry and disease, specifically, have been hot topics of
national and international news. With the outbreaks of foot and mouth disease
in Taiwan and hog cholera outbreaks in Europe, it should reemphasize to
us that the first line of defense of these types of diseases in the United
States rests with swine practitioners. Being able to recognize potential
disease outbreaks that could threaten North America's herds should be high
on the priority list of all practitioners. We sometimes get lulled to sleep
thinking it couldn't happen here, and yet the reality proven by these international
outbreaks is that it could. Let this be a reminder that we should always
be on the lookout for unusual disease syndromes that could be the tip-off
to something much larger. It is a responsibility that we have as swine practitioners
and one that we cannot take lightly.
I hope all things go well in all your business endeavors in the coming
year and look forward to a year of good hog prices and helping serve our
customers and the consumer in producing a profitable, wholesome pork product.
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