AMES, Iowa -- The new Quality Management Systems (QMS) program coordinator at the Iowa Pork Industry Center (IPIC) at Iowa State University (ISU) credits his educational experiences at the university as an important factor in his eventual return as an employee.

Terry Faidley said instructors throughout his academic career at ISU were major influences on his career, which now includes the QMS position.

“I received my bachelors, masters and Ph.D. from ISU, and had many great instructors and professors,” he said. “Don Beitz, my major professor, was most influential with his highly contagious energy level. Now I’m working in the same department.”

Faidley said current ISU faculty members and others associated with Iowa agriculture were important in this career move, too.

“After moving to Iowa I met with several individuals in different aspects of agriculture within the state,” Faidley said. “When I learned about the IPIC program coordinator position, I called IPIC director John Mabry. Visiting with him and John Lawrence helped me to solidify my decision that the QMS position would be a great opportunity for me to follow my passion to help the swine industry.”

Faidley officially started as the new QMS program coordinator in February. His primary responsibility in this half-time position is to lead the development and delivery of a new high profile quality and environmental management system program for pork producers in Iowa.

He said one recurring theme is the need for Iowa farmers to become more “professional” in their work through use of existing and new technologies.

“My opportunities include working with a management systems template that can be used to focus on issues specific to each individual producer,” Faidley said. “I’ll be assisting pork producers with adoption of best management practices and encouraging their participation in the Pork Quality Assurance PlusTM program. I'm also interested in helping promote the National Animal Identification System program.”

Faidley said his previous work experiences prepared him well for this position.

“My work at Merck involved basic animal science research and each project involved coordination of my direct reports with other research staff and scientists,” he said. “At DeKalb, I had my first experience with developing and updating standard operating procedures. And as a production manager at Growthland, ‘Standard Operating Procedures’ that were nearly identical across farms allowed for quick analysis and correction of problem areas.”

“I'm working out of my business office in Colfax and will maintain an IPIC office with regular visits to Ames,” Faidley said. “My additional consulting work keeps me busy with my other passion of scientific research and allows me to meet new people and garner fresh ideas.”
 
For more information on QMS including how it would work in individual operations, contact Faidley at IPIC by phone at (515) 294-4103 or by e-mail at faidleyt@iastate.edu.

-30-