Andy D. Herring
Andy Herring is an associate professor in the Texas A&M University Department of Animal Science where he teaches courses in beef cattle production and quantitative genetics. He and his wife Kim have three children and live in Robertson County.
Biographical Information
Dr. Andy Herring is associate professor and holder of the John K. Riggs ’41 beef cattle professorship in the Department of Animal Science at Texas A&M University. He is a faculty member of the beef cattle section and the animal genetics section. Herring was raised on a cattle and sheep ranch near Talpa, Texas, in Coleman and Runnels counties. He received a bachelor’s in animal science from Tarleton State University in 1988, a master’s in animal breeding from Texas A&M University in 1991, and a doctorate in genetics from Texas A&M University in 1994. He came to TAMU from Texas Tech University in 2002, where he was a faculty member in the Department of Animal and Food Sciences.
Dr. Herring has teaching, research and Extension responsibilities within the department. He teaches undergraduate and graduate level classes in beef cattle production and management (ANSC 406 and 605) and a graduate course in quantitative genetics. His research interests focus on areas to increase production efficiency for beef cow-calf producers through coordination of breeding systems, environmental resources and marketing strategies. He and his students have studied genetic and environmental influences on milk production in beef cows, breed differences for feedlot and carcass characteristics, and genetic mechanisms related to growth and behavior.
Dr. Herring enjoys training undergraduate and graduate students and uses of a wide variety of teaching techniques. He has trained or co-trained 3 Ph.D. students, 12 M.S. students and 4 M.Ag. students. He received the Teacher Fellow Award from the National Association of Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture (1998), the Outstanding Young Scientist Award for Education from the Southern Section of the American Society of Animal Science (2000), and Teacher of the Semester Award (Fall,1998 and Spring 2002) from the College of Agricultural Sciences & Natural Resources at Texas Tech University.
My Personal Story
I was raised on my family’s cattle and sheep ranch at Talpa, Texas, which has been in my family since the 1880s. I went to a small rural school, and there were eight students in my graduating class. I was raised in a Christian home; most of my family members have been church-goers for several generations. In third grade I went through our church’s Confirmation Class, which means that you study about being a Christian and about our church for several weeks, and then you are asked if you believe in and accept Jesus Christ into your heart, and them you become an official church member. This made me feel important, loved and accepted. I don’t remember any great revelations or feelings; this was what you were supposed to do. I believed I was a Christian at that point in time, but looking back I am not sure that I was.
I had a great childhood, and I was always adventurous. Some times I tried things that I know I shouldn’t have, like jumping ramps with my motorcycle, seeing how fast my horse and I could gallop through a pasture, teasing my only sister, or drinking beer with some of my buddies. As I went to college, I found my self drinking alcohol fairly often, but I remember trying not to get drunk, because that frightened me. The few times it had happened, and not remembering some of what happened the night before made me feel guilty and worried, kind of like being out of control. I went to church occasionally, and I had not prayed much in several years.
As I went through graduate school, I found myself becoming too smart and too well educated to believe in God, at least the God in the Bible that I had been taught about in Sunday School, besides things were going great for me. I was engaged to a young woman that I adored, but that changed abruptly when she broke off the engagement.
I was heart broken and depressed. I remember feeling very empty and hollow at that point in my life. I went deeper into my life without God. Over the next two years, I abused alcohol fairly often, and I had shallow relationships with several girls. I was self-centered, and I was lost.
Then Kim came into my life. Looking back now I know that is was God bringing her to me, saving me from a path of self destruction. We began to go to church, and Sunday School together, and I remember feeling like that was the right path in life, like I was headed in the right direction again, but I still had doubts about God and the Bible.
I heard about a book in Sunday school called “The Case for Christ” by Lee Strobel. Here was a book written by a reporter who was an atheist, and in his attempt to disprove Christianity, became a Christian because of the facts uncovered by his investigative reporting. This book changed my life. I began to pursue a relationship with God because I now was assured about the historical evidence the Bible (especially the New Testament) is based on. Kim and I started a family, and became active in our church, and continued to draw closer to God through Jesus Christ. I went on a weekend Christian retreat and rededicated my life to God by really trusting in Jesus. I can honestly say that I felt the presence of the Holy Spirit, and it was amazing.
As a young adult, I fell into the trap of thinking that being a Christian was being in a life of deprivation of fun. The joy that I have felt through knowing and trusting God makes what I used to think of as fun seem like garbage. God doesn’t want anyone to miss out on fun; He wants to bless His children. Everyone is familiar with the scripture John 3:16 (For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have everlasting life), but John 3:17 really spoke to me (Jesus came not to condemn the world, but to save it).
I think that many people who are not familiar with Christian beliefs don’t understand the concept of God’s grace. This is the best gift we are ever offered, but it also must be freely asked for by us. When you accept Jesus, this means that you are admitting that you need God’s grace and accept His gift that was evidenced through Jesus.
Being a Christian does not mean that you have a life that is perfect. You still have stressful situations, and you still have temptations. I struggle with many different issues. But, you also have an inner peace and knowledge that this life is only temporary. You also learn to appreciate that you are really part of a grand plan, and that you can have great impact on the lives of others.
I can honestly say that I don’t know why God didn’t give up on me when I turned my back on Him. But, I am so thankful that He didn’t. I believe that all people have equal value because we are made in God’s image. No one individual is better or worse than anyone else; however not everyone accepts this concept, or acts like they believe it, or even takes time to think about it. I have written this personal story so that college students will think about their future more than I did when I was their age.
