About Halden
I am from a farm near Greeley, Colorado originally. My family raised corn, grass and alfalfa hay, beans and beef cattle. Out there if you say you grow beans, it usually means pinto beans, not soybeans. I graduated from Colorado State University and have been working with cattle and the people who care for them ever since. I’ve had the opportunity to work with dairies, beef processing facilities, cow/calf operations and feedlots.
What is your position at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln?
I am stationed at the Great Plains Veterinary Educational Center, which is located at the U.S. Meat Animal Research Center. My title is health stewardship veterinarian, and my role is to work primarily with fourth year veterinary students in hands-on clinical courses focused on beef cattle.
What drew you to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln?
Nebraska’s strong contribution to the U.S. beef industry is what originally drew my family here. We have grown to love our adopted state, and the opportunity to work with students in a well-known veterinary facility like GPVEC was appealing.
What aspect of working in an educational setting do you enjoy the most?
I consider shaping the viewpoints of students both an honor and a responsibility. The expense, work and struggle that is required of students in the learning process is real, but the rewards are real too. In addition, I get to work with a very talented group here at GPVEC. Engaging with them on ideas related to veterinary medicine daily is enjoyable.
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
My family, but the credit doesn’t go to me. The opportunity to be a husband and father is a great blessing, and I hope that each day I’m becoming gradually better at it.
What is something that most people don't know about you?
I like to exercise with weights called “kettlebells.” They look like a cannonball with a handle. One unrelated unusual thing about me is that when I raise my eyebrows, I have more forehead wrinkles than anyone I know of.
What is your life like outside of work?
I am married to a wonderful wife, and I have three great kids. We are involved in several cattle enterprises, have two dogs and are at a couple youth sporting events over the course of an average week. We are also thankful for and involved with our church family. We travel when we get a chance, and we like to hike. We hiked to the top of Mount Evans in Colorado recently, and we are hoping to tackle more of Colorado’s 14ers this coming summer.