Daryl Schraad Des Moines, Iowa President Kemin Animal Nutrition and Health – North America

Please describe your agricultural background.
I have been involved in animal health for the last 10 years, specifically on the veterinary side of both the companion and food animal industry. My father and all of his siblings have been actively involved in farming and production animals their entire lives, so I have always been around an agricultural environment.

What previous positions have you held?

• Vice president of sales and marketing for Vetcentric, a veterinary pharmacy company.
• Vice president of sales and marketing for PVPL, a veterinarian-owned animal health distributor.
• President of AHD, a technology, marketing and distribution animal health company.

What excites you most about this new position?
Kemin is focused on bringing value and innovation to our customers and partners. The commitment to research and development, the understanding of our market and the extensive portfolio of products and services make it an exciting place to work.

How will you, in this new role, be of most help to dairy producers?
With feed prices at an all-time high and constant price pressures, these are unprecedented times for dairy producers. Kemin's portfolio includes many efficiency products, such as KemTRACE Chromium Propionate, that can make a significant difference to dairy producers.

As for how I can personally help, it really boils down to listening to our customers. We exist to provide value to the agricultural market and my No. 1 priority is to maintain our company's commitment to meeting our customer's needs.

Why did you choose this company?
One thing that sets Kemin apart is its ability to maintain the family atmosphere that R.W. and Mary Nelson (company founders) created while fostering an exciting entrepreneurial environment.

Not only does Kemin have a presence in over 90 countries, but over the years seven non-ag businesses have developed from the original animal agriculture business. We offer inspired molecular solutions in human nutrition and health, pet food, food technologies, veterinary medicine, crop sciences and pharmaceuticals. It's an exciting place to be.

What goals would you like to accomplish while in this position?
First and foremost, my immediate goal is to help our ag partners during this tough economic climate and offer solutions to help them maximize profit and achieve optimal production.

Secondly, it’s important I learn about our different customer types. Our customers contribute to the company’s vision of improving the quality of life by touching half the people of the world everyday with our products and services. PD