LOCAL KID MAKING GOOD
Given his family history and exposure to livestock on the farm west of Olivet on which he grew, it’s not surprising that Aidan Friesen is pursing a doctoral degree in veterinarian medicine. And many stand to benefit from that fortune.
When Dr. Dave “Doc” Barz of NorthWest Veterinary and Supply reached out to Aidan Friesen wondering if his former 2022 summer intern would be interested in acquiring the Menno building after closing up shop locally a-year-and-a-half ago, Aidan had two thoughts.
First: “I’m a student that has two years; how in the world could I do something like that?”
And then, after sleeping on it: “How in the world could I not do this? A great opportunity indeed.”
The result is Friesen Animal Health, a new operation complete with its own storefront at 453 E. U.S. Highway 18 on the eastern edge of Menno, not far west of Total Stop Food Store on the north side of the highway that leads into town.
While it’s not a veterinarian operation yet, it’s only a matter of time before Aidan begins treating animals large and small. He’s already completed two years of vet school at South Dakota State University and, just this week, is beginning his second two-year stint through the College of Veterinarian Medicine at the University of Minnesota at St. Paul.
He is on track to graduate with his doctorate in May of 2027.
In the meantime, the Friesen operation is offering a limited inventory that includes veterinary supplies, vaccines, pet food and Big Gain feed and Legend seed — two products he was already selling through Friesen Feed and Seed before acquiring the Highway 18 property in February.
“It’s exciting,” said Aidan, a 2020 Menno High School graduate who received his undergraduate degree from South Dakota State with a bachelor’s degree in animal science and a major in chemistry. “I’ve always been interested in business, but it wasn’t until later in high school that I decided I was wanting to go to vet school, and now we’re here.”
Place and time
Aidan comes by his interest honestly.
His late grandfather, Dr. Leroy Friesen, was the veterinarian in Menno starting in the 1970s until selling to NorthWest Veterinary and Supply in 2012. And Aidan grew up the son of Lee and Michelle Friesen on a farm west of Olivet surrounded by animals — sheep, goats, horses, chickens and pigs, as well as cats and dogs.
“We had it all,” he said, which likely played into his decision to pursue work with animals of all kinds. “In this small community there’s a little bit of everything. Even the cattle guys — they’ve got a dog on the farm and cats on the farm. We’ll do it all.”
“There’s a huge need for all of the above,” Aidan continues, speaking to the growing concern in agricultural communities about the lack of veterinarian care.
“It’s a problem all across the country,” he said. “Vets are retiring or limiting their hours and are getting fewer and farther between.”
That’s all the more reason he’s eager to finish the challenging work that comes with vet school.
“You ask any veterinarian they’ll all say it’s the hardest for school but the most worth it,” Aidan says. “We all say it’s the best profession there is.”
The first two years of graduate school are book heavy, he explains, with daily classes running from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., followed by an evening of studying. By the third year — Aidan’s current year — some of the book work is supplemented with labs. And then, immediately following that spring semester, students begin a series of year-long, two-week clinical rotations that take them through all tracts of vet work.
“We really get to know each other and that makes everything a lot more enjoyable,” he says, noting he was part of a class of just 20 at SDSU. “You learn to stick with each other, even in the tough times, and all get through it together.”
Support; coming home
Aidan is eager to get through vet school, largely because he wants to give back to a community that has given him so much, especially through this process.
“It’s been vital,” he said. “The community support has been fantastic; that’s the only way this can work.”
That level of support extends elsewhere
“We’ve had tons of help from veterinarians I’ve worked with, classes at SDSU, and my dad has been a huge help on the business side,” Aidan says. “By no means is this done through just me. This is a conglomeration of everybody.”
And he’s eager for the end result.
“An idea I have for this place is like a one-stop shop,” he said, referring to the Big Gain and Legend products he sells and his partnership with Vern’s Manufacturing, a livestock equipment dealer based in Wessington. “Anything livestock, you can get it all here.”
