Keeping feedlot cattle healthy has been Dr. Bob Smith’s life’s work
He has been with Veterinary Research and Consulting Services since 2000, with an emphasis in feedlot and stocker health and management.
Bob was raised on a small livestock farm near Pittsburg, Kan., and received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in animal science from Kansas State University. He was commissioned as an Army Air Defense Artillery officer through the K-State Army ROTC program. He served two years on active duty, then 23 years as an active Army Reservist, before retiring as a Lieutenant Colonel. Following graduation from K-State veterinary school, he completed a large animal medicine and surgery internship and clinical instructorship at Oklahoma State University, and was granted tenure in 1983.
At Oklahoma State he was a field services clinician for 15 years and did clinical research on stocker cattle diseases. Bob then worked feedlot veterinarian with Palo Duro Veterinary Services in Canyon, Texas, before returning to Oklahoma State as the McCasland Chair in Beef Health and Production.
He has served on numerous committees and task forces spanning food safety, cattle health, animal identification, animal welfare, foreign animal diseases antibiotic resistance and prudent use of antimicrobials. During his career, Bob was involved in 45 research studies, producing 30 research reports and authoring or co-authoring more than 30 peer-reviewed manuscripts. In addition, he co-edited a major textbook and worked on 11 book chapters. He and his wife, Gerri, reside in Stillwater, Okla., and have four children and 10 grandchildren.
The Industry Achievement Award was created in 2010 to honor individuals who have made an immense, positive effect on the cattle feeding industry and influenced how it looks and runs today.
Bob Smith will join the ranks of industry legends like Paul Engler, Max Deets, Topper Thorpe, David Bechtol, James Herring, Lee Borck, Larry Corah, Gerald Timmerman and John Matsushima at the 16th annual Feeding Quality Forum. Bob will be honored at the event on Tuesday, August 24, in Fort Collins, Colo.
