ODA promotes new state veterinarian | Livestock | capitalpress.com - Capital Press

SALEM — The Oregon Department of Agriculture has promoted Ryan Scholz as the agency's new state veterinarian, effective Nov. 2.

Scholz, 35, previously spent eight years as the district veterinarian for ODA in Western Oregon. He was appointed acting state veterinarian following the retirement of Brad LeaMaster in June.

ODA Director Alexis Taylor said Scholz brings extensive experience to the job, both in emergency management and animal disease control.

"Ryan is a smart, talented leader who has the ability to elevate his team in both the day-to-day work at ODA and in emergency situations where strong coordination skills and confidence are crucial," Taylor said in a statement. "I look forward to working with him as he continues to turn his ideas into real-world success."

As state veterinarian, Scholz is Oregon's top livestock disease control official, working with ranchers to prevent outbreaks of infectious diseases including tuberculosis, brucellosis and avian influenza. ODA also monitors for foreign animal diseases, such as foot-and-mouth disease and African swine fever.

Scholz recalls the 2014 avian influenza outbreak nationwide that cost producers billions of dollars in lost production and markets. The first case of bird flu in domestic poultry was found in Oregon, he said, though ODA was able to catch it early and prevent it from entering the state's commercial poultry flocks.

"Those diseases can cause exports to be rejected from other countries," Scholz said. "Catching it early can potentially protect the entire country's exports and nationwide industries."

Around the same time, Scholz said ODA was dealing with another emerging disease in pigs known as Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea Virus, or PEDv. Fortunately, he said, Oregon has been largely successful keeping the virus at bay.

Earlier this year, ODA also announced a feral pig tested positive for pseudorabies for the first time in Central Oregon. While the disease has not spread to livestock, it is considered contagious. Scholz has said ranchers should be aware if they live in an area with feral pigs and take appropriate steps to keep their livestock separate from wildlife.

"A lot of what we do is about preparedness," he said. "It's mostly just standing guard."

Scholz worked as a veterinarian in Mill City and Madras before joining ODA in 2012. He has bachelor's degrees in animal science and bio-resource research, a doctorate of veterinary medicine and master's degree in public health in epidemiology, all from Oregon State University.

In addition to his role as district veterinarian, Scholz has served as the emergency preparedness coordinator for ODA, evacuating and protecting livestock in the face of natural disasters.

In 2018, Scholz led a team of animal rescue experts to Paradise, Calif., after the Camp Fire burned more than 153,000 acres and displaced more than 10,000 pets and livestock.

He also helped coordinate animal evacuations and veterinary care for more than 5,000 pets and livestock displaced by the Oregon wildfires that burned more than 1 million acres statewide.

Scholz said he is excited to take over as state veterinarian, and eager to see what the future holds with possible new regulatory changes in the pipeline.

"Regardless of what USDA enacts, our job is to support our producers in meeting the requirements and be able to continue operating," he said.

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