Garrett Girk

I was raised on a family farm in Protection, Kansas, and learned how to work with livestock from a very young age. With that experience, my passion for animal agriculture grew, and I always thought I would be a veterinarian.

In high school, I took any agricultural classes that I could. My favorite classes were animal sciences, agribusiness, biology and algebra. Some courses I wish I could have taken that weren’t offered were computer programming and business classes for sales and management. I also became involved in the National FFA Organization throughout that time.

During my freshman year of college at Kansas State University, I took a position with the Kansas Department of Agriculture – Division of Animal Health as a student worker. I began to learn more about high-consequence foreign animal diseases and how Kansas prepares for and responds to those diseases. While my passion for animal agriculture really began during my time with my local FFA chapter in high school, this role solidified my interest in the industry. 

Today, I am the state animal disease traceability coordinator for the Kansas Department of Agriculture – Division of Animal Health. My job has two main components. The first part is to know where diseased and at-risk animals are, where they have been and when they were at those locations. For this, I implement animal disease traceability systems in the state of Kansas via livestock markets and veterinarians, as well as implement electronic certificates of veterinary inspections and electronic identification tags.

The second portion of my role is to collaborate with colleagues to maintain and ensure accuracy in the state animal disease traceability database. I also get to represent Kansas Animal Health at meetings and conferences across the state and around the U.S.

What I like best about my job is getting to make an impact by improving the response capabilities of Kansas Animal Health in the event of a high-consequence animal disease. I enjoy working with veterinarians and livestock producers across the state and helping my counterparts in other states be able to improve their traceability systems. It’s exciting that Kansas leads the nation in animal disease traceability and high-consequence animal disease response planning.

Most of my training for this role developed during my time as a student worker in college, in addition to my real-world experience growing up on a farm. As I look toward the future, one of my goals is to receive a master’s degree in epidemiology and public health.

For those who are interested in pursuing a career in this industry, my advice is to run toward your passion, because you never know where it might lead you.