Bechtol wins Industry Achievement Award

August 14, 2013 — 

Dr David Bechtol, longtime member of the American Association of Swine Veterinarians, will be honored at the 2013 Feeding Quality Forums with the Industry Achievement Award. “As one of the very first veterinary feedlot consultants, he evolved with a very young cattle feeding industry as it was starting up and maturing,” John Pollreisz said.

Pollreisz, now managing veterinarian for beef cattle at Zoetis, started working for Bechtol at the Palo Duro Consultation Research & Feedlot practice in the late 1980s, when the practice had 11 years of work behind it. Bechtol began the consulting business after nearly a decade in general practice in Dimmitt, Texas. He was well known for his human customer service and a knack for connecting with feedlot employees to help them help the animals under their care.

As he spent more time in the budding feedlot business, it became clear that more research, data and assistance would be needed to allow the industry to continue to grow in a healthy manner. Bechtol found a solution to that, too. His “Cattle Accounting System” was one of the original record keeping systems for animal health in the early ’70s.

But even that wasn’t enough to satisfy his desire for data and research-based health decisions. In 1979, he founded a private research facility, Agri Research Center, Inc., to perform research trials in his own scientifically-controlled environment. The research facility has conducted more than 575 trials including research on vaccines, antibiotics, implants and more.

As a charter member, first president and now lifetime member of the Academy of Veterinary Consultants, Bechtol used that data and information to bring the young, emerging industry together.

“When we graduated from veterinary school back in the mid- to late-’60s, we weren’t taught feedlot medicine on a routine basis. So there were several of us who got together and said, well, we need to exchange some ideas on, what are you doing here? How are you doing that?” Bechtol recalled. “Now the Academy has grown from that original 11 or 12 people to over 750 veterinarians and more than 40 states involved.”

Bechtol is also past president of the Texas Veterinary Medical Association, American Association of Bovine Practitioners, American Society of Agricultural Consultants and committee and council member in the American Veterinary Medical Association. Bechtol was a charter member of the American Association of Swine Practitioners and the fourth President of that organization. He was an early swine consultant and innovator in swine practice before transitioning into feedlot medicine.

Bechtol will be honored at the seventh annual Feeding Quality Forum Aug. 20 in Omaha, Neb., and Aug. 22 in Garden City, Kan., where he will share insights with the audiences. For more information about the educational event or to register, visit http://www.CABpartners.com or email mconley@certifiedangusbeef.com.

Please join us at AASV in congratulating Dr Bechtol on his significant achievements.

Source: Certified Angus Beef

[Editor's Note: Thanks to Dr. Jerome Geiger for providing additional information for this article.]