Dennis Swan retires as chairman of Minnesota Beef Council
By Heather Thorstensen
hthorstensen@agrinews.com
Date Modified: 07/15/2010 4:05 PM
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BALATON, Minn.— Dennis Swan will tell you there are no better people in the world than those in the cattle business.
"It doesn't make any difference what state they come from, cattle people are great people," he said.
They're what he'll miss most as he leaves the Minnesota Beef Council, the group in charge of administering state beef checkoff money to support demand for beef through research, promotion and education.
Swan has been on the council's 16-member board of directors for 21 years. For the last 14 years, he has been elected each year as chairman.
He didn't run for re-election at their July 6 meeting. A vote by secret ballot took place to find his successor.
Swan sums up his reason to retire in one word: age. At 74, he wants to spend time with family. He and his wife, Donna, have three daughters— two in the Twin Cities and one in Wisconsin— and plan to visit them and their families more often.
"We put a lot of miles on the car," he said.
He'll also stay involved with his cattle and crop farm. The Swans moved to Balaton a little more than two years ago, but still run a farm 10 miles south of town in partnership with Todd and Joan Miller. They feed out up to 1,200 head per year of various breeds. Swan mainly feeds black Angus crossed with more exotic breeds, like Charolais, Limousin or Gelbvieh. The farm's crops are corn and soybeans.
Looking back on his council career, he is most proud of the positive communication he has had with others, how the groupstrives to get the most value from checkoff dollars and their work to promote lean beef cuts. Credit should be given to the council's staff, he said.
"They've done some excellent work," he said.
He's also happy with research the council supports, particularly in nutrition. He served on the research committee.
"We've done some excellent work in the diabetic field and with the American Heart Association," he said.
A project that has been funded in part by the councilis attempting to treat people with type II diabetes through diet. Researchers at the Minneapolis VA Medical Center have published five-week studies on reducing starchy carbohydrates, increasing protein —a main nutrient of beef —and increasing fat in patients' diets to keep them off insulin.
"With this diet, we can lower blood glucose as much or more than when patients take pills for diabetes,"said Frank Nuttall, a University of Minnesota professor and chief of the endocrine metabolic section at the medical center.
The Minnesota Beef Council's work in diet, health and food safety is one way it has been a leader of state councils under Swan's leadership, said Ron Eustice, the council's executive director.
"He has been a tremendous leader for the beef industry. He is extremely perceptive and visionary," Eustice said. "He is able to take very complex issues relating to the beef industry and beef promotion and bring them to a level that everyone can understand and, as a result of that, his guidance, his opinions are extremely credible because he seldom comes down on the wrong side of an issue."
Many of Swan's colleagues commented on his sense of responsibility when it came to beef checkoff dollars.
"Dennis fully understands that we are responsible to all segments of the industry," Eustice said.
Bob Nelson, a council member and beef producer from Alden, said Swan would listen to everyone's opinions during their council discussions.
"He cares. He cares deeply about the industry...He's a true cattle feeder at heart," Nelson said.
Lowell Schafer, another council member from Goodhue, described Swan as tireless and dedicated.
"All the directors get a very small per diem and it doesn't near cover the time and effort put into it, especially by Dennis," he said.