What are your new responsibilities?

I will be responsible for providing distributors, veterinarians, calf and heifer raisers, dairy and beef producers information on how our products can positively impact calf health and provide calves with immediate immunity.

What territory will you cover?

Southern U.S. from Florida to New Mexico.

Please describe your agricultural background.

I have been involved in agricultural my whole life. I grew up on a cow-calf operation in southern Iowa. Our family was very active showing cattle at all levels. I was on the livestock judging teams at both Blackhawk-East junior college and Iowa State University.

After moving to Texas, I began developing my own club calf herd. I had to liquidate the herd after suffering a wildfire and the severe drought. I was back in the business 6 months later. I am currently part of a commercial cow-calf operation with a partner in southern Iowa and northern Missouri.

What education are you bringing with you to this position?

My formal education includes a bachelor’s degree in agricultural studies from Iowa State University. I expect my practical education will also serve me well in this role.

I am a producer selling to other producers in the industry, so I can appreciate how they value information and how appropriate and timely a salesperson needs to be. Also, my wife and I have a 2 ½ year old daughter. Anyone who has children knows that nothing makes you a better communicator than having to negotiate with a 2-year-old.

What previous positions have you held?

Prior to my current role, I was the assistant manager at Barrett and Crofoot feedyard. Previous to that I worked for Cargill in beef procurement as a cattle buyer for 12 years.

What excites you most in your new role?

I am excited to have the opportunity to work with dairy calf growers and cow-calf ranchers. I look forward to meeting new people and building long-term relationships, while helping them become more efficient and profitable.

I’m also excited to cover such a large territory so I can understand how different calf raisers in various states manage calves differently as we all try to get to the same end-point – a healthy, productive replacement or feedlot animal.

How will your work in your new role benefit producers?

With the shrinking cattle inventory, cattle are at record high prices. The immediate immunity that this company’s product provides will help prevent calf scours and accelerate weight gain through improved calf health. At the end of the day that yields more dollars for the producer. I’m looking forward to working with producers to improve herds by keeping calves healthy from the start.

Why did you choose this company?

I like that ImmuCell is a small dynamic company that has an outstanding product. I’ve used it on my own calves, so I know first-hand that it works. Selling something that has had an impact in my own herd should be pretty rewarding.

What goals would you like to accomplish while in this position?

The southern territory is a relatively new focus for the company. My goal is to develop this territory by establishing relationships with a solid network of distributors, veterinarians, calf raisers, dairymen and cow-calf producers.

ImmuCell’s sales personnel are really a team of calf specialists. I plan to bring the dairy and beef producers in my territory knowledge and assistance focused specifically on calves as they are the future of the herd.