Speakers -
Mike Apley, DVM, PhD, DACVCP
Professor and Section Head, Production Medicine/Clinical Pharmacology
Gretchen Grissett, DVM
Resident
Dr. Grissett received her DVM from Mississippi State University in 2010. She completed
a internship at Mississippi State University before she became a resident in Agricultural
Practices for Large Animal Internal Medicine at Kansas State University.
Shelie Laflin, DVM, ABVP
Clinical Assistant Professor, Agricultural Practices
Dr. Laflin graduated from the Kansas State University College of Veterinary Medicine
in 2000. After graduating, she completed an internship in Food Animal Medicine at
Colorado State University. She returned to KSU in 2001 as a clinical instructor in
Food Animal Medicine and Surgery. Dr. Laflin obtained her board certification through
the American Board of Veterinary Practitioners with a focus in Food Animal. Her primary
interests are beef and small ruminant production medicine.
Bob Larson, DVM, PhD, DACT, DACVPM, DACAN
Coleman Chair Food Animal Production Medicine, Executive Director, Veterinary Medical
Continuing Education
Dr. Larson received his DVM in 1987 from K-State. After one year in mixed practice,
he returned to K-State and received his PhD in 1992. He then returned to private practice
for four years. In 1996, Dr. Larson joined the faculty at the University of Missouri
as a veterinary beef production specialist for University Extension and Continuing
Education. Dr. Larson joined the K-State faculty in the spring of 2006 as the Edgar
E. and M. Elizabeth Coleman Chair in Food Animal Production Medicine.
Sherri Merrill, DVM, Consulting Veterinarian
Allen, Kansas
Dr. Merrill grew up raising cattle with your family in central Nebraska. She attended
Kansas State University where she received a BS in Agriculture followed by her DVM
degree and a Graduate Certificate in Feedlot Production Medicine in 2007. Following
graduation, she worked as an associate veterinarian in Ainsworth and Pierce, Nebraska
for 3 years working primarily with beef cattle. Following a year of relief work for
mixed animal veterinary practices across Nebraska her family returned to Kansas where
she currently works as a consulting veterinarian for Kansas State University in addition
to managing the family cattle operation. Dr. Merrill is married to Mr. Matt Merrill,
a Certified Journeyman Ferrier. They have two children, 4 year-old Jacob and 1 year-old
Ann.
Matt Miesner, DVM, MS, DACVIM
Clinical Assistant Professor, Agricultural Practices
Dr. Miesner received his DVM from Washington State University in 1999. He then practiced
as an associate veterinarian in general private practice in Pasco, Washington before
beginning a residency in Food Animal Medicine and Surgery at Ohio State University.
After his residency Dr. Miesner remained at OSU as a clinical instructor and a year
later was appointed as an assistant professor and also received his MS degree. Dr.
Miesner joined the K-State faculty in August of 2006.
Pat Payne, DVM, PhD
Associate Professor
Dr. Payne received her DVM in 1971 from Kansas State University. She then practiced
small animal medicine in Virginia for 23 years before returning to K-State to earn
her PhD in Insecticide Resistance in Fleas. She is currently an assistant professor
in the Department of Diagnostic Medicine and Pathobiology and serves as the Supervisor
of Diagnostic Parasitology for the Diagnostic Laboratory and Veterinary Medical Teaching
Hospital.
Mike Sanderson, DVM, MS, DACVPM (Epidemiology)
Professor, Epidemiology & Beef Production
Dan Thomson, MS, PhD, DVM
Jones Professor of Production Medicine and Epidemiology/ Professor/ Director of The
Beef Cattle Institute
Dr. Dan U. Thomson is a third generation bovine veterinarian and was raised in Clearfield,
IA. Dr. Thomson completed a MS in Ruminant Nutrition from South Dakota State University
and a PhD in Ruminant Nutrition from Texas Tech University. Dr. Thomson received
his BS in Animal Science and DVM from Iowa State University.
Dr. Thomson was an associate veterinarian with Veterinary Research and Consulting
Services in Greeley, CO. He then served as the Director of Animal Health and Well-being
for Cactus Feeders in Amarillo, TX. Dr. Thomson was the veterinary consultant for
their 10 commercial feedlots and directed their animal health research at the Cactus
research facility. Dr. Thomson still practices feedlot medicine in Kansas, Nebraska
and Texas.
Dr. Thomson is recognized internationally as a leader in animal welfare, beef cattle
production and cattle health management. Currently, he is The Jones Professor of
Production Medicine and Epidemiology and Director of the Beef Cattle Institute at
Kansas State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine. He serves as the Global
Co-leader for McDonald’s Beef Health and Welfare Committee, Chairman of the United
States ISO OIE animal welfare working group, serves on the Animal Welfare Advisory
Board of the Food Marketing Institute and the Animal Handling Working Group of the
Global Food Safety Initiative and is co-chairman of the North American Food Animal
Welfare Commission. Thomson is the former chair of the OIE Beef Cattle Production
and Welfare committee. Dr. Thomson has been very active working on advisory boards
and committees for the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, American Farm Bureau,
American Association of Bovine Practitioners and the Academy of Veterinary Consultants.
Dr. Thomson teaches farm animal production medicine, welfare and nutrition was recently awarded the National Excellence in Teaching Award by the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities in 2012. Dr. Thomson has published 55 peer-reviewed papers, 4 book chapters, 190 abstracts, 69 proceedings and 39 progress reports at professional meetings and delivered 487 invited talks internationally on his research and field experience on the interactions between production management, environment and nutrition on the health and well-being of beef cattle. Dr. Thomson’s research program has been granted over $33.0 million with $13.7 million of those funds coming with him as the primary investigator. Thomson’s research and outreach has been reported in many media outlets including CBS Evening news, USA Today, Los Angeles Times, the New York Times, and many others. He hosts a nationally aired veterinary television show entitled “Doc Talk” that reaches over 45 million homes world-wide.
Dr. Thomson is married to his wife Cindy. They have 4 daughters, Kelly, Katelyn, Tory and Sarah. Dr. Thomson’s hobbies are his daughters’ activities and a little hunting or fishing in Southwest Iowa when time allows.
Bob Weaber, PhD
Assistant Professor/Cow-Calf Extension Specialist
Bob Weaber, Ph.D. joined the faculty of the Department of Animal Sciences and Industry
at Kansas State University in August of 2011 as Cow-Calf Extension Specialist. Previously,
Weaber served in the Division of Animal Sciences at the University of Missouri (MU)
as Extension Specialist-Beef Genetics and was responsible for educational programming
in the area of beef cattle genetics. Dr. Weaber also serves as central regional secretary
of the Beef Improvement Federation, is a co-coordinator of the National Beef Cattle
Evaluation Consortium education programs and has served as a member of the National
Cattlemen’s Beef Association Policy Division Board of Directors. The focus of his
extension and research programs have been to broaden the availability, use and understanding
of genetic selection tools (Expected Progeny Differences, DNA markers and selection
indexes) as well as performance data collection schemes implemented by cattle producers.
Dr. Weaber grew up on a cow-calf operation in southern Colorado and went on to earn
a BS in animal science followed by a Master of Agriculture degree in the Beef Industry
Leadership Program at Colorado State University. He completed his doctoral studies
in the Animal Breeding and Genetics Group at Cornell University. While there, he served
as the Interim Director of Performance Programs for the American Simmental Association
for three and a half years. Previously, Weaber was Director of Education and Research
at the American Gelbvieh Association. Bob and his wife, Tami, and their young children,
Maddie, Cooper and Wyatt, reside near Wamego, KS.
Brad White, DVM, MS
Associate Professor, Production Medicine
Dr. White received his DVM from the University of Missouri-Columbia and his Masters
of Science from Mississippi State University. He teaches the following courses the
College of Veterinary Medicine at Kansas State University: Advanced Cow-Calf Production
Management (4th year), and Production Medicine (3rd year). Dr. White’s research interests
are Beef production and management with emphasis on calf health management.