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Dr. Will R.
Getz is an animal scientist and Extension
educator by training and experience.
Undergraduate studies in animal science and
agricultural education at Oklahoma State
University, combined with graduate work in
animal breeding and genetics at Ohio State
University prepared him for a career in
research, training and outreach in the USA and
more than 30 countries overseas. His
species of focus have been cattle, swine, sheep
and goats. His primary focus over the past
20 years has been the small ruminants and their
role in support of mankind.
Currently Dr. Getz is a professor and extension
specialist in the animal sciences at Fort Valley
State University were he also serves as a member
of the staff of the Georgia Small Ruminant
Research and Extension Center. As Extension
specialist he has a mandate to work with county
extension agents, producers and commodity
organizations, young farmer advisors, market
personnel, as well as State and Federal agency
personnel in support of their need for support
in small ruminant programs. The majority of
this work is directed toward meat and dairy
goats, while the work in support of new sheep
enterprises is increasing. He has been
responsible for a small ruminant newsletter,
production of technical bulletins, creation of a
technical reference for county agents,
conducting in-service training for agents and
agriculture teachers, coordinating youth market
goat and breeding sheep programs, and responding
to client needs for information and advise via
phone, e-mail, and letter. Dr. Getz is credited
with establishing the first meat goat buck
performance evaluation program and center in the
Southeast, which is now in its 6th year and has
drawn consignors from across the region.
Special workshops and conferences have been
organized in response to the needs of commodity
groups in Georgia and the Southeast.
Immediately prior to his association with Fort
Valley State, Dr. Getz was a livestock and
Extension specialist, and program officer with
Winrock International Institute for Agricultural
Development which was formed from a merger
including the Winrock International Livestock
Research and Training Center on Petit Jean
Mountain in Arkansas. At Winrock International
he was engaged in providing information and
training to non-government agencies serving
smaller farmer with goats and(or) sheep in mixed
farming systems. He was part of the animal
agricultural systems team that looked at ways to
use small ruminants in mixed farming systems
scattered around the globe. Most of his efforts
were directed toward the Caribbean, eastern and
southern Africa, the former Soviet Union, and
southeastern Asia. He served as principal
investigator for the production systems
component of the Small Ruminant Collaborative
Research Support Program. While at Winrock Dr.
Getz provided the technical inputs for print
publications, video tapes, newsletters, and
conducted small ruminant workships for Extension
personnel and NGO staff in several regions of
the world. He served as Winrock liaison to the
newly formed Mid-states Dairy Goat Cooperative.
During the four-year period 1978 – 1982, Dr.
Getz served as an associate professor at North
Carolina A&T State University where he was
engaged less with small ruminants but with other
livestock species that were found at the time on
may small farms. His work resulted in a
state-of-the art swine research and
demonstration center that included components
and options for many production environments.
He collaborated in research with beef cattle and
sheep in examining grazing systems.
During the eight years beginning in 1971 he
served with the Near East Foundation and West
Virginia University as an animal production
specialist and animal husbandry teacher of
aspiring Extension workers in Tanzania, a
country where cattle, goats and sheep abound.
Dr. Getz was asked to advise on research
initiatives involving small ruminants, and
established an evaluation program for newly
developed composite breeds of cattle using
indigenous and introduced germplasm. For
Extension training activities he made the case
for listening to stakeholders when developing
program plans, and to be responsive to local
needs in the framework of national development
priorities.
Dr. Getz has been an advocate of strong
Extension – Research linkages, and the essential
place of on-farm research in allowing clients to
play a role in the new information that is
developed. In Georgia and the Southeast he is
recognized as one of the few small ruminant
Extension specialists who understands the
industry and seeks to provide practical
solutions to the challenges that goat and sheep
owners have in production, marketing, and in
training needs. His experience and contacts
will be an asset in any effort to create local
expertise and a cadre of certified persons who
can transfer accurate information to their
colleagues.
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