Annual Report 2020 pages 1_15.qxp_Layout 1 2/23/21 9:20 AM Page 2
To say that 2020 has been an unusual year would be an understatement. It started out like most any other, but it sure has thrown us a curveball in the form of the pandemic dubbed COVID-19. COVID-19 has dominated the news-cycles, been a source of angst for health care professionals and Wade Shafer, Ph.D. been on most of our minds since the Executive first restrictions were announced in Vice President mid-March. As I write this, we are experiencing a second spike in the US with the number of infections increasing in every state. By now, if we haven’t had it ourselves, most of us at least know someone who has. Unfortunately, many of us also know someone who has passed from it — as there have been over 400,000 deaths in the US. It’s fair to say that most would consider this to be one of the bleakest times in our history. Not to minimize the human tragedy we’ve been dealt, but as with previous crises, there is no doubt that we will overcome and move on to better days. And in this case, we can be confident that better days will be coming soon! The primary reason I am so confident that we will overcome the virus sooner than later is due to the massive problem-solving power science can now deliver. To give you a sense of that, the first symptoms caused by the virus were documented in late December in Wuhan, China, and by January 11 Wuhan reported the first death due to COVID-19. On that same weekend (January 11-12) the full genomic sequence of the virus was completed and shared with the global health community. Given the current mobility of humans this was critical, in that it allowed for definitive diagnosis of carriers anywhere in the world. Not surprisingly, within weeks, confirmation of carriers began showing up around the globe. Unfortunately, in the last major pandemic, the “Spanish Flu” caused by what we now know to be a strain of the H1N1 virus, sequencing was not an option — making definitive diagnosis impossible. Though incorrect, the conventional wisdom at the time was that the pandemic
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was caused by a strain of bacteria called Haemophilus influenzae. It would be 36 years before Watson and Crick introduced the foundation for sequencing an organism — the concept of Deoxyribose Nucleic Acid (DNA). It would be another 50 years beyond Watson and Crick’s discovery before the first living organism was sequenced. Interestingly, the first sequencing was performed on Haemophilus influenzae — the bacterium mistakenly fingered for the “Spanish Flu” pandemic. The ability to quickly sequence an organism’s DNA gives us a huge leg-up in an infectious disease outbreak. Identification gives us knowledge to help better manage things like treatment, tracking, and quarantine. Though management is a powerful tool, an effective vaccine is surely the ace in the hole. Given that a vaccine for an infectious disease has never been developed in less than several years; however, we have been resigned to the fact that vaccination is a long-term solution — that we must limp along doing our best for years before we have the ace. With a pandemic like we are dealing with, limping along for several more years seems unimaginable. Fortunately, though it has been less than a year since the first case of COVID-19 was diagnosed, as I write there are two vaccines with huge promise on the cusp of being released to the public. How can this be? How can we have game changers in our hands in less than a year? The overarching answer is that the scientific community has found a way to leverage the massive amount of knowledge accumulated over the almost seven decades since Watson and Crick published their seminal paper. Both vaccines employ messenger Ribonucleic Acid (mRNA), essentially a set of molecular instructions that puts DNA into action. It is relevant to note that mRNA has never been cleared for use prior to these two vaccines, as the powerful technology was not ready for prime time. Because the mRNA is synthetic, the vaccines can be manufactured quicker and more economically than conventional methods of vaccine development — critical factors for solving the crises we are in. I know my report is unconventional, and certainly unlike any from previous years — but these are unprece-
dented times that will likely have an impact on humanity for a long time to come. In light of that, ASA took unprecedented action. With the goal of extending a helping hand to those who have made ASA successful — our members — the board unanimously voted to credit 10 percent of your prior year’s expenditures on THE, registrations and transfers toward this year’s expenses. Though this pandemic may make it hard to see things in a positive light, hopefully the cost savings will put a little smile on your face. As you know, I started by stating that better days are coming soon. Truth is, in the world of science, they are already here, and each new day brings better. Due to its life and death nature, a pandemic shines a bright light on that fact. Though lower key, we can certainly look at the advancements in our own industry to verify that science has made our days better — and continues to do so. I will close with the commitment that has been embedded in every annual report — you can be assured that we will continue to do our level best to leverage science and collaboration to help our members and industry make better cattle and better beef!