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Q. What will the business look like 20 years from now?
A. I think further consolidation will take place. Not much exploratory research is done in the animal health game any longer. So, if new products come to the market, they will be few and far between. Will we go the transgenic route to produce transgenic animals with disease resistance? The discussion has already started. I suspect we won’t. But I do suspect that veterinarians, nutritionists and animal production managers will continue evolving production systems that better ensure animal health and productivity than what we have now. I think we’ve seen that in each industry group, particularly poultry, but also to some extent cattle and swine. They have managed to improve their productivity over the years, and it hasn’t been at the expense of using more medication. I think there is a tremendous amount of work to be done. If we look at the poultry industry, they have made some tremendous strides in being able to produce birds without the aid of medication. Will the swine industry go all the way there? I suspect not, but I think they will get to a point where they have a more robust animal and a cleaner and healthier environment that will require less direct medication.
Q. Who inspired (or inspires) you?
A. I was inspired by the former head of Roche Vitamins and Fine Chemicals in Europe, Claude Schmutz. He was an extremely seasoned businessman and leader, one of the most enabling and visionary leaders I have met. When I was placed in my first relatively senior management position managing the animal health business in Europe, which was a big order for me as a South African coming up through the ranks, he really did a lot to set the scene with the European affiliate GM’s so that Ed Seed and his team had no barriers to be able to accomplish what they needed to do. It was a very successful three years that led to a lot of personal growth in my life while teaching me how to lead people and work in large cross-functional teams. Claude went on to found and still leads the Leaders Integrity Foundation based in Switzerland and Germany.
Q. What advice do you have for someone who might like to do what you do someday?
A. First, do the best at everything you do. Good is not good enough. Be the best at whatever you are doing. Not everyone can be at the top, but everyone can do their best at whatever they are doing. Second, let people know what you want to do from a career point of view. Let your superiors know and look at different options. You would be surprised at what doors might open. Typically, the unforeseen thing will happen that you wouldn’t have thought possible. Good things happen when you demonstrate you are doing your best and have an interest.
Q. How do you think COVID-19 will impact the future of the pork industry?
A. COVID-19 has certainly impacted the whole pork supply chain. From our perspective, we attempted to keep good contact with our client base when we did have new information to disseminate to them. Under these circumstances, technical and production decision makers really weren’t in too much of a hurry to be making medication and health protocol changes. They had far more important issues on their minds. I think we will see further disruption and distraction through midway 2021 when things will normalize. I think everyone at all levels of production and processing have learned a lot through the whole process.
Q. What about African swine fever? How will it shape the future?
A. African swine fever (ASF) has already shaped the future through biosecurity and reminding us all what foreign animal disease could potentially do and how detrimental it will be to the industry if we do have an outbreak in this country. In the short term, ASF has probably worked in the favor of the U.S. pork industry, especially when the recent outbreaks in Germany were announced. Almost overnight that changed the profitability of the U.S. swine industry. So where does it all end? I’m not a veterinarian. I’m not an epidemiologist. Will we get the disease under control? Pharmgate is aware of research into ASF vaccines and we are getting involved ourselves. But right now, that’s all I can say.
Q. What have you learned from being a part of this start-up?
A. As a startup, we’ve received a tremendous amount of respect throughout the course of the past 10 years. We have been successful, but we are most proud of the personal relationships and the respect that has been shown to the team. We want to continue working our hardest to make sure we continue earning this respect and satisfying our customers’ requirements.
Q. How were you able to earn respect and trust?
A. It’s agriculture. We all basically have the same values in our businesses and personal lives. Veterinarians and technical decision makers need to know what new products and concepts are out there. Showing integrity, truthfulness and respect to others has always been reciprocated. I am so grateful for everyone who was willing to take time to answer questions, hear me out, give advice and provide input which really enabled us to set up our business and be successful. My mission is to do the same to others.
Q. If you could go back and do something differently in your career, what would it be and why?
A. I’ve always been very happy in a career in animal science. I can only wish the type of career I’ve had on other young people interested in the industry.
PORK Perspectives is a recurring column that provides business and leadership strategy tips from some of the pork industry’s finest. Opinions expressed in this column are the opinions of Edward Seed and do not represent the opinions of Farm Journal’s PORK. Watch for future columns featuring advice and insights from more of the pork industry’s leaders.
More from Farm Journal’s PORK:
PORK Perspectives: A Minute with Jimmy Heisel
PORK Perspectives: A Minute with Steve Weiss
