OUR BEGINNINGS
Ashby Genetics (formerly Ashby Embryos) was a division of Ashby Herd Health Services; a veterinary practice established in 1973 by Dr. Shelvin Arey. Dr. Randall Hinshaw joined Ashby Herd Health in 1982 and bought the practice in 1987. The practice grew to be the largest food animal practice in Virginia. The embryo transfer business known as Ashby Embryos began shortly after his arrival and grew to the point where it is today as Ashby Genetics. We still share the physical plant and staff with Ashby Herd Health, but we are now our own business entity located in Harrisonburg, Virginia in the largest agricultural area of the state.
The Team
Randall Hinshaw, DVM
Matthew Switzer,
Embryologist
Ryan Giles, MS, DVM
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Randall attended the University of Georgia graduating with a B.S. in Agriculture in 1977 and a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine in 1982. Upon graduation, he joined Ashby Herd Health Services which is a cattle practice in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. His embryo transfer career began in 1983 with the collection of his first donor. The embryo transfer business continued to grow, and in 1995 he made the decision to focus full time on embryo transfer and reproductive ultrasound by creating Ashby Embryos; now Ashby Genetics. He has serviced clients in 16 states and Puerto Rico.
Randall has been involved with training veterinarians nationally in embryo transfer as the coordinator of the Edwin Robertson Beginning Embryo Transfer through the American Association of Bovine Practitioners. He has given presentations to producers, veterinary schools and educational meetings across the country. He has served as president of the Virginia Academy of Food Animal Practitioners, on the board of the American Embryo Transfer Association and the board of the American Association of Bovine Practitioners, and as president of the American Embryo Transfer Association. Randall received the American Embryo Transfer Association President’s Award in 2005, the American Association of Bovine Practitioners Practitioner of the Year Award in 2006, and the Paul F. Landis Virginia Veterinarian of the Year Award in 2011 from the Virginia Veterinary Medical Association. Randall married Linda in 1982, and they have 3 married daughters and 9 grandchildren. He enjoys spending time with his children, their spouses, and his grandchildren. When he has free time, he likes to fish and the outdoors. Matthew was born in 1982 on a dairy and chicken farm in Bridgewater, Virginia. He grew up very active in the local 4‐H Dairy club and participated in dairy judging and quiz bowl contests. While attending Turner Ashby High School, Matt was an active member of the FFA club. He competed in dairy, poultry, and livestock judging contests. Matt was awarded the State FFA degree and the American Farmer degree.
After graduating, he attended Blue Ridge Community College for one year and then went on to attend Virginia Tech. Matt majored in Dairy Science with a minor in Agricultural and Applied Economics. During his time at Virginia Tech, he was an active member in the Dairy Club. Matt competed on the collegiate dairy judging team and was the Vice President of the Dairy Club of Virginia Tech. Matt graduated from Virginia Tech in 2004 and went to work for Ashby Embryos (later becoming Ashby Genetics in 2017). He serves as an embryologist as well as the practice manager including client communications, scheduling, and inventory control. He has assisted in national programs training technicians and veterinarians in the field of embryo transfer through seminars offered by the American Association of Bovine Practitioners. In 2006, he married his wife Rachel. Matt and Rachel live in Bridgewater, Virginia with their four children. He loves to watch sports, the outdoors, and spending time with his children. His family are also members of Cooks Creek Presbyterian Church. Ryan grew up in rural western Pennsylvania near the town of Ebensburg. He attended Penn State University and graduated in 2008 with a bachelor’s degree in Animal Science. Pursuing an interest in cattle reproduction, Ryan moved to Fort Collins, Colorado after graduation for a job with Bovine Reproductive Specialists. During his time there, he was trained as an AI and reproductive ultrasound technician, which applied control of ovarian dynamics with use of ultrasound to improve estrous synchronization of dairy herds in the area. In 2012, Ryan completed a master’s degree in reproductive physiology at Colorado State University with a main research focus on follicular wave dynamics as it pertained to improving beef cattle estrous synchronization methods. He also aided other graduate students in research being conducted at the in-vitro fertilization laboratory at CSU. In May of 2017, Ryan received his DVM from Virginia‐Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine and joined the team at Ashby Genetics as an embryo transfer practitioner. He now lives in Mount Sidney, VA with his wife Maria, their son Sawyer, and their two dogs. They enjoy fishing the nearby rivers and exploring the mountains of the Shenandoah Valley. |