Morrison – Swine in Minnesota

Fellowship provides opportunity for swine researcher to take her work to a new level

This article was written by Brandi Rupard for the UMN CVM magazine, Profiles.

Many teenagers find themselves behind grocery checkouts and restaurant counters when it comes to taking on a part-time job in high school. Alyssa Betlach found herself working among 1,500 sows at a local swine farm near her hometown of Owatonna, MN.

The sow farm became a very familiar place to Betlach, who continued working there throughout high school and into her undergraduate education at the University of Minnesota. The time she spent on the farm served as inspiration and preparation for her current career as a swine veterinarian and researcher.

The UMN swine fellowships continue to support students and industry-focused research

Three fellowships are available for graduate students focusing their research on practical solutions for the swine industry: the Morrison, Pijoan and PIC fellowships. Congratulations to this year’s new recipients! We look forward to hearing more from you at the upcoming Allen D. Leman Swine Conference on September 18-21.

Remembering Bob, two years later

Today marks the second anniversary of the loss of Dr. Bob Morrison. Dr. Morrison was killed in a tragic car accident in the Czech Republic in May 2, 2017.

Remembering Bob, one year later

This week marks the first anniversary of the loss of Dr. Bob Morrison. Dr. Morrison was killed in a tragic car accident in the Czech Republic in May 2, 2017.
In that same accident, we also lost Pam Wetzell and Deb Spronk, spouses of our dear friends Dr. Gordon Spronk and Dr. Tom Wetzell. We remember them in many ways especially for their kindness and love of life.

Bob was a mentor, teacher, colleague, friend and inspirational leader to many of us.

We remember Bob for his kindness, integrity, fertile mind, dedication to his students, peers and the swine industry, and for his passion to instill in others to do work that matters.

Bob is dearly missed and continues to be an inspiration to many of us.

Rest in peace Bob,

The Swine Faculty at the University of Minnesota

Science Page: Leman swine conference – A tribute to Dr. Bob Morrison

This is our Friday rubric: every week a new Science Page from the Bob Morrison’s Swine Health Monitoring Project. The previous editions of the science page are available on our website.

The Allen D. Leman swine conference starts tomorrow!
This year’s Leman Conference will be a Tribute to Bob and what he did during his career and his continuation of the goals upon which Al Leman first founded the conference.
His drive for holistic improvement rather than individual aggrandizement can be seen reflected in session titles like, “Lesson’s From Dr. Morrison: Focus on Work that Matters”, and “Bob Morrison’s Legacy: Applying a Collaborative Approach in a Competitive Industry”.

Bob pushed himself and those around him to do “work that matters”, display integrity, and focus on the industry as a whole. The Leman Conference is an actualization of these values.

Read the entire tribute here.