Samuel (Sam) Frank Tabler

Transcription

1 Resume of Samuel (Sam) Frank Tabler Education: BS in Animal Science from the University of Arkansas 1980 Employment History: USDA-Agricultural Research Service (Feb Present) 6883 South State Hwy 23 Booneville, Arkansas72927 Animal Scientist I have been employed as an Animal Scientist with the USDA - Agricultural Research Service since I am responsible for the day to day management of a head research cattle herd used to produce calves for livestock research studies. I am responsible for cattle health, pregnancy checking, calving duty, weaning, forage management, and pasture rotation, in addition to other duties. I am experienced in rotational and intensive management grazing. I have used ultrasound extensively over the past 15 years to determine intramuscular fat, ribeye area, back-fat and rump-fat of stocker and feeder steers. I am also involved with the care and management of a sheep and goat herd that is primarily used for parasite studies. Major components of the cattle research are the study of practices that increase the productivity and sustainability of livestock and silva-pasture farming systems for small sized and family farm operations and also a herd of grass fed steers that are serial ultrasounded every 28 days from weaning until slaughtered to determine fat deposition and muscle development. My duties have included or now include the design and implementation of research studies pertaining to efficient production of cattle, sheep and goats. I also prescribe and administer treatment to

2 maintain the health of livestock. I manage the pastures utilized by meat animals for grazing and also prescribe and conduct management practices for forage production used for livestock. I have also had extensive experience in warm and cool season forage production and grain (wheat, rye, barley) production. I am experienced in the establishment and management of native plants used for livestock grazing as well as wildlife habitat, bio-fuels use, and conservation practices. This management includes forage and native plant establishment, fertility assessment of soils, and setting grazing pressure to allow pastures and rangeland forage to be sustainable over an extended period of time. I am responsible for maintaining the biodiversity for pasture and rangeland. I serve as Chairman of our location s Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) and I am responsible for developing and maintaining SOPs for animal care and use in a research environment. I have been the contact person (at the USDA-ARS location in Arkansas where I am employed) for the cooperative research with professors and staff in agricultural departments at University of Arkansas and Texas A&M University. I supervise several seasonal workers and well as work and interact with several graduate students that have ongoing Master s and PhD projects at our research center. This involves data collection, animal sampling, and advising on alternate options for procedures. I work closely in an advisory role with numerous livestock producers and forage producers to assist them with management practices concerning livestock, forage, wildlife, and conservation production and practices. This professional work and experience has been over a period of almost 30 years. In the fall of 2008, I was offered a 13 month detail to serve as an Agriculture Advisor on a Provincial Reconstruction Team in Iraq. My duties and experience is listed below. USDA-FAS Agricultural Advisor Babil Province, Iraq (Feb.2009-Mar.2010) Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) - Babil Province, Iraq In Feb.2009, I accepted a 13 month detail with the USDA as an Agricultural Advisor in Babil Province, Iraq. I was the agriculture person on the Babil PRT first located at the Regional Embassy Office in Al Hilla, Iraq and then located at FOB Kalsu in Babil Province. The majority of my time was devoted to the livestock sector in central Iraq. I worked with Iraqi cattle, sheep,

3 and goat producers to increase the quality and quantity of livestock produced as well as working to improve the marketing of their product and the profitability of their farm. Specialized Experience for Position of Agricultural Program Specialist (Livestock Advisor) Through my work as an Agriculture Advisor in the country of Iraq, I gained experience in analyzing and providing technical support to persons and groups involved in livestock production. This includes beef and dairy cattle as well as sheep, goats, and water buffalo. I worked with various groups and associations to improve methods of livestock production and forage establishment and management. I have had experience with design of agricultural and rural development activities to improve agricultural productivity in the country of Iraq. This included assessing the potential of Iraq to increase their productivity in all areas of agriculture but specifically livestock production given the climate, lack of rainfall, political instability, and other economic and social factors. I have experience with analysis of policy impacts on livestock production and markets. An example of this is during my time working in Iraq, one of the policy impacts that effected livestock was the government of Iraq s long standing policy to not allow new genetics of livestock or forage to be imported into the country. During my time there, I continued to advise agriculture officials on the value of new and improved genetics and methods of production. I have experience in the administration of grants and contracts. While in Iraq, I was the administrator of a $1.1 million grant for a group of Iraqi beekeepers. The grant was to build a honey processing facility, import new queen bees into the country to increase bee population, and to train Iraqi farmers in beekeeping technology. I was responsible for all aspects of the grant including implementation, budgeting, assessing progress, and analyzing results. I also acquired numerous smaller grants for Iraqi farmers. My time in Iraq serving as an agriculture advisor gave me experience in international agriculture and rural development in cross-cultural situations. Being the only agriculture advisor in the Babil Province gave me the freedom to work in all sectors of agriculture. It also gave me the opportunity to work with many Iraqi farmers and to gain an understanding of their culture. I developed a very good working relationship not only with individual farmers but also with government agriculture officials at the local, provincial, and national level. While in Iraq, I was the agriculture expert on the Provincial Reconstruction Team in Babil Province. The purpose of the team was to promote and enable sustainable development in all sectors of Iraq. The agriculture sector was one of the most important and most focused upon. I worked closely with other members of the team, especially the banking and governance team members to accomplish the goal of agricultural stabilization regarding food security, nutrition,

4 capacity building, and resource management. I worked closely with INMA to establish one of the first sheep feedlots in Iraq. I also cautioned the team members involved to grow the animal feedlot industry slowly because the lack of quality feedstuff for animal feeding being produced in Iraq at the time. One of my primary duties on the Provincial Reconstruction Team was to work with donor agencies to acquire funding for agricultural projects. These funding sources included the US Department of State, USAID, and the US military, among others. After acquiring funding, I had control of the project in regard to objectives, budget and finance, implementation, and analyzing and compiling results. I had an excellent working relationship with donor agencies such as USAID, INMA, various NGO s as well as the US military. I worked well with other members of the Babil PRT team and developed a good working relationship with the Babil Provincial Council members. I also received a "Coin of Excellence" from the Deputy Commanding General of Southern Iraq for work with Iraqi livestock producers interested in developing animal feedlots. I received a "Meritorious Service Award" from the US Embassy in Baghdad, Iraq for my efforts to improve Iraqi agriculture. During my appointment in Iraq, I developed and maintained an excellent working relationship as well as personal friendships with the military personnel that I was embedded with. I am comfortable working in difficult, volatile, and stressful conditions and have proven I can be successful and productive in spite of these conditions. I am also comfortable working with a diverse group of individuals in difficult environments. Leadership Examples: Arkansas Forage and Grassland Council State Board Member Logan County, Arkansas Agriculture Extension Service Advisory Council Member Logan County, Arkansas Farm Bureau Board Member Logan County, Arkansas Fair and Livestock Show Board President Booneville, Arkansas School Board Member and Past President Booneville, Arkansas First Baptist Church Member and Deacon References: Dr. David Nisbet USDA-ARS- College Station, TX Supervisory Microbiologist / Research Leader

5 Dr. Glen Aiken USDA-ARS-Lexington, KY Research Animal Scientist / Research Leader glen.aiken@ars.usda.gov Dr. Michael Looper University of Arkansas Fayetteville, AR Department Head Animal Science looper@uark.edu