Conrad Spangler

Education: I have a B.S. in dairy science from Iowa State University and a DVM from the University of Minnesota.

I was active in my college’s dairy club as ... an officer. I also participated in educational events, intramurals and social activities within the club.

I stay in touch with other Iowa State students, including ... the girl that was president of the ISU Dairy Science Club my senior year, who I ended up marrying. We also keep in touch with many friends we made at Iowa State when we go back to tailgate for a football game at least once a year. My dairy background: I grew up on a 120-cow Holstein dairy in southeast Iowa where I was involved on working on the farm and active in 4-H. My father – who has had a profound impact on my life and career within the dairy industry – started our dairy after graduating from Iowa State and marrying my mom, who was raised on a dairy farm.

At Iowa State, I continued to learn about the dairy industry through classes, dairy club and summer jobs. In vet school, I was active in the Production Animal Medicine Club and did my externships with predominantly dairy veterinary practices. I spent the first 2.5 years of my career practicing dairy medicine with Circle H Headquarters in Dalhart, Texas, before accepting this opportunity.

What I like best about working in the dairy industry is ... the people. Since I have spent my whole life in the dairy industry, I feel almost a familial connection to others that are working hard in the dairy industry daily, and that makes it fun to come to work every day. Secondly, I like the problem-solving opportunities the dairy industry offers on a daily basis.

My work duties include ... monitoring and improving the health and performance of the animals within the Riverview dairy system. To accomplish this, I’m establishing scientifically sound protocols, creating employee training opportunities, troubleshooting health and production bottlenecks and developing monitoring tools.

Compared to what I thought I’d do after college, this job is ... exactly what I had hoped to do at some point in my career. After vet school, I expected to preg check cows, pull calves and perform surgeries for a while. I got that experience plus a great opportunity to learn and grow professionally in the dairy industry in and around Dalhart.

In my current position, I have the opportunity to fully focus on the practices and procedures within our dairy system that can help us achieve our goals. I’ve developed my Spanish language skills through a three-week immersion program, weekly online classes and practicing daily with our teams on the dairies.

The next step in my career will be ... achieving the goals concerning the health and production of our animals and continuing to develop my Spanish abilities. Additionally, I would like to complete my MBA program so that I can learn business strategies that can improve the dairy industry. PD