Todd Gaby, Dairy Coordinator in Premier’s Southwestern territory, retired on February 29, 2024 after 36 years of service. Please join us in congratulating Todd!

Todd began working for East Tennessee Select Sires, an organization that would eventually become Premier Select Sires after several mergers, in October of 1988. He started as an A.I. trainer, while also helping with semen delivery runs and assisting with independent sales representatives. After a year of service in this capacity, Todd became a Dairy Coordinator and has served in this role ever since, primarily administering the Select Mating Service and Program for Genetic Advancement. Prior to joining the A.I. industry, Todd graduated from the University of Tennessee Knoxville in 1987 with a major in animal science and a minor in plant and soil science. He worked with TN DHIA for a year and a half as well.

Todd says he has especially enjoyed attending evaluator conferences to learn new technologies.

“I started out in my career doing hand matings, then moved to a DOS-based program, then to a Windows-based program,” said Todd. “There have been milestones that made mating cows a lot easier.”

A true numbers person, Todd has kept a rolling total of new matings and rematings he has made in his career. To date, he has made about 1.25 million recommendations. In addition, he has been able to visit 42 states through the area he has served, conferences he has attended, and visits he’s had the opportunity to make with farmers.

Todd says he has appreciated his time with Premier and the relationships he’s been able to form.

“I would encourage my coworkers to always be a team player. It is nice when people are willing to learn something, or help outside of their responsibility or comfort zone,” said Todd. “Being a team player has helped me learn a lot of other responsibilities like sales, some SRS work, and more. I’ve loved learning, pinpointing challenges, and finding solutions to help dairies be more economical.”

In retirement, Todd plans to continue the many volunteering and service efforts he is already a part of. He has provided eight years (over 1500 volunteer hours) of neonatal intensive care unit volunteer work, and is very involved at his church as the finance chairman, as a musician, and as a choir member.

Todd plans to spend even more time with his family as well. His wife, Joey, is a chemistry teacher; his son, Tucker, is a student at UTC studying business administration; and his daughter, Kendra, is a student at UTC studying prenursing. Todd also enjoys spending time with his father horseback riding and helping to harvest hay for his business.

Thank you for your service, Todd! We wish you all the best in retirement.

Photo: Todd and his family. From left to right: Tucker, Todd, Joey, and Kendra.