Dr. Rick Tubbs, current President
of the AASP, reported in March 1998 in his President's Message
that he left a swine extension position at the University of Missouri-Columbia
to become a swine practitioner in the real world. No sooner had
he nailed out his shingle to the practice and settled into the
hard life of blood testing sows, filling out health papers, and
touring packing plants before dawn to retrieve tissues from clients'
animals than his new partner in the practice departed for industry.
Did he worry? If he did, it was not apparent to me. Instead, he
used his knowledge, skills, and business acumen to change with
the shifting sands around him. He charted his swine practice in
new directions and focused on the needs of his clients. He responded
to the changes in a positive manner and was successful.
In addition, Dr. Tubbs was the Vice-President of the AASP and
the Chairman of the Scientific Program Planning Committee, which
planned and delivered the successful 1998 AASP Annual Meeting.
He did what many of his predecessors have done before him in this
industry and organization: he responded to change by seeking new
ways to deliver swine veterinary services, information, knowledge
about swine diseases, diagnostics, treatment, control, production
practices, production standards and benchmarks, and economic data
about the business of producing pork.
I believe that Dr. Tubbs demonstrated the essence of a swine
practitioner's ability to change with a changing environment.
Change in the swine industry is certain. The mission of the AASP
remains the same: pork producers need valid, credible, scientific
information. Disease diagnosis, treatment, and control are old
topics that are still relevant to what we do. Some new topics
have been added to the list: e.g., artificial insemination, multisite
commingling production systems, xenotransplantation, postweaning
multisystemic wasting syndrome, and updates on the control of
porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome.
Pork producers are currently facing major economic challenges.
The structure of the United States pork industry continues to
change, and the rate of change is accelerating. This change will
affect members of the AASP. And the issues that confront the swine
industry and swine practitioners are becoming more complex, such
as:
- food safety and the consumer;
- diagnosis and control of multi-etiologic respiratory disease;
- bacterial resistance associated with feeding antibiotics
to livestock;
- the ban of growth-promoting antibiotics by the European
Economic Union (EEU) without the science to support such a decision;
- future growth of the United States swine industry;
- environmental issues;
- animal welfare issues;
- odor issues;
- the diminishing role of veterinarians within the United
States Department of Agriculture, Food Safety Inspection Services
(USDA-FSIS); and
- the availability of new and current antibiotics to treat
disease in the future.
It is both a challenge and an honor to serve the membership
of the AASP. Part of this challenge will be answered by the Scientific
Program Planning Committee, which has assembled the best and brightest
speakers for the 1999 AASP Annual Meeting in St. Louis, Missouri.
Please do not limit your involvement in the AASP to attending
the Annual Meeting, however. The AASP is what our members make
it. Participate in the organization in the manner that best complements
your abilities and interests. The AASP can and will rise to the
challenges of the future, but only on the strength of the membership
and their commitment to and participation in the organization
and the industry.
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This page last updated April 19, 2012.