August 19, 2003 - Michigan Department of Agriculture (MDA) Director Dan Wyant today announced that Dr. Mike VanderKlok of Walker has been selected to head the Department’s bovine Tuberculosis (TB) eradication program. 

“Mike brings extensive veterinary experience to the program and his leadership and communication skills, coupled with his animal health knowledge, will be critical in advancing efforts to eradicate bovine TB from Michigan,” Wyant said. “He will work closely with Michigan’s Bovine TB Eradication Coordinator Bridget Patrick, Michigan’s livestock producers, industry organizations, and our state, federal, and university partners.”

Dr. VanderKlok will be housed within MDA’s Animal Industry Division, which is responsible for overseeing the health and safety of Michigan livestock and domestic animals. In addition to coordinating the bovine TB eradication and surveillance programs for cattle, goats, bison, and privately-owned cervids (deer and elk), he will be working with producers one-on-one, according to Dr. Joan Arnoldi, State Veterinarian and Director of the Division.

He joined MDA as a field veterinarian in 1992 and has served in several capacities for the Department since then. He worked as a Regional Supervisor for the TB program for two years and most recently has served as the Food Animal Program Manager, working on scrapie eradication in sheep and Johne’s disease control in cattle.

VanderKlok holds his DVM from Michigan State University’s (MSU) College of Veterinary Medicine and is an active member of several professional organizations, including the Michigan and American Veterinary Medical Associations, the U.S. Animal Health Association and the National Institute for Animal Agriculture.

He and his wife, Stacey, live in Walker with their two girls, Amanda and Katie.

Dr. VanderKlok fills the post vacated by Dr. Larry Granger, who left earlier this summer to become the Associate Deputy Administrator for Emergency Management at the U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service Veterinary Service’s headquarters in Riverdale, Maryland.

The state’s overall bovine TB eradication program involves a multi-agency team of experts from the Michigan Departments of Agriculture, Community Health and Natural Resources, Michigan State University and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. For more information about bovine TB, or to contact Dr. VanderKlok, call 517/373-1077.