Jan. 23, 2014
Contact:
Rich Degner, Executive Director
(800) 372-7675, rdegner@iowapork.org
For Immediate Release!
ISU animal ag researcher, retired state representative named Honorary Master Pork Producers
(CLIVE, Iowa) — Two Iowans who have made strong contributions to the success of the state’s pork
industry have been honored by the Iowa Pork Producers Association.
Dr. Rodger Main, director of operations and associate professor at the Iowa State University Veterinary
Diagnostics Laboratory, and farmer and retired state representative Delores Mertz have been named
Honorary Master Pork Producers for 2013.
The pair was honored last night at the Iowa Pork Congress Banquet in Des Moines.
The Honorary Master Pork Producer Award is given to two people each year for their outstanding and
distinguished service to the betterment and success of Iowa’s pork industry. Recipients are selected by
the IPPA Board of Directors and the program is funded by the Pork Checkoff.
Dr. Rodger Main –Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, Iowa State University
Main has been with the ISU Veterinary Diagnostics Laboratory since 2009. He oversees the lab’s daily
diagnostics services, comprehensive surveillance testing programs and applied research on diseases of
high relevance to animal agriculture.
The lab receives roughly 55,000 case submissions and conducts more than one million diagnostic assays
annually for livestock producers in Iowa and around the U.S.
Main has recently played a major role in oversight of Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea Virus (PEDv)
diagnostics. PEDv is a deadly swine disease that surfaced in the U.S. last spring and has spread across
the country. The ISU lab played a critical role in early detection of the disease and quickly
communicated and coordinated with stakeholders following its detection. Rodger is currently leading
research efforts to coordinate PEDv diagnostics between other labs. The purpose is to better understand
how the virus moves and develop actions to help producers better protect farms from this and other
health challenges.
Dr. Main has been involved with other research efforts focusing on oral fluids testing, effects of
ractopamine, lysine requirements, effects of weaning age and sow feeding.
Prior to joining Iowa State, Rodger served numerous roles with Murphy-Brown Western Operations,
most recently as the director of production systems.
Dr. Main received his doctorate of vet medicine from Iowa State University in 1996 and Ph.D. in
clinical swine nutrition from Kansas State University in 2005.
He received the Allen D. Leman Science in Practice Award in 2008 and the National Pork Producer
Award for Innovative research in 2003. He is active with the American Association of Swine
Veterinarians, the Iowa Veterinary Medical Association and the American Association of Veterinary
Laboratory Diagnosticians.
Rodger has presented educational sessions at the Iowa Pork Congress and Iowa Pork Regional
Conferences.
He and his wife, Marcy, live near Ames.
Dolores Mertz– Retired Iowa State Representative
As a farm owner and operator in Kossuth County, Dolores Mertz entered public service in 1983 as a
Kossuth County Supervisor when she was appointed to fill the seat of her late husband, Pete. She had
the honor of being the first female supervisor in the county and she held the position until being elected
to the Iowa House of Representatives in 1988.
At the statehouse, Dolores broke more ground. She served on the House Ag Committee for 22 years and
was the first woman to ever chair the committee, a leadership role that lasted four years. She also served
20 years on the Ag and Natural Resources Budget subcommittee.
Mertz played a major role in creation of the state Ag and Rural Leaders group formed to promote policy
solutions and innovation in agriculture and rural communities.
Dolores proudly supported agriculture through challenging times in the Iowa Legislature and was
dedicated to working with all legislators to find reasonable, common sense solutions. She retired from
the Iowa Legislature in 2010.
Mertz’s years of public service did not go unnoticed by Gov. Terry Branstad, who appointed her to two
different state commissions after retiring from the Legislature. She’s currently a member of the
Environmental Protection Commission, as well as the State Racing and Gaming Commission.
Dolores continues to represent agriculture and other issues through various memberships and councils,
including the Iowa Farm Bureau, the governor’s Ag Studies Council, the Iowa Association of Counties
Steering committees and many more.
Mertz has seven children and she and her sons farm near Ottosen, raising hogs, corn, soybeans and oats.
She has 11 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren and currently resides in Algona.
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