Dr. Grotelueschen graduated from the University of Missouri-Columbia (MU) with a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree in 1974 followed by a Master of Science degree in Clinical Sciences from Colorado State University in 1992. His career as a member of the veterinary profession has provided many highly rewarding opportunities to serve animal owners, the veterinary profession, and the livestock industries to continuously improve and to assure sustainability of animal agriculture. Dr. Grotelueschen is indebted to his wife and family, and to the support of many classmates, colleagues, friends, and mentors for a fulfilling career in veterinary medicine.

The oldest of 7 children of Melvin and Loretta Grotelueschen, he grew up on a farm near Schuyler, Nebraska. Agriculture, particularly animal agriculture, was a special interest from an early age. He graduated from Schuyler High School and completed 3 years of pre-veterinary study at the University of Nebraska (UNL). He and Elizabeth were married a year prior to acceptance into the MU College of Veterinary Medicine. She graduated with degrees in mathematics and physics from UNL and immediately supported the couple by teaching for 3 years in the Moberly, MO high school.

Following graduation from MU, he engaged in private practice, the first 2 years in dairy practice in Seymour, Wisconsin, and then 9 years in primarily beef cattle practice at Medicine Valley Veterinary Hospital, Curtis, Nebraska, where he was a practice owner, and which grew to a 4-veterinarian practice. A call from UNL resulted in acceptance of a Veterinary Extension and Diagnostics faculty position, serving as Professor and Director of the Panhandle Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, at Scottsbluff, Nebraska, for16 years. He then served in the Veterinary Operations group of Pfizer Animal Health for 12 years. Following that time, he served as Professor and Director of the UNL Great Plains Veterinary Educational Center, Clay Center, Nebraska, for 6 years. He is a Professor Emeritus with UNL.

He has thoroughly enjoyed working with veterinarians, beef producers, and the beef industry in areas that include the study of systems, beef health systems management, preventive health and production management, and diagnostic investigations. His specific areas of interest and expertise have included neonatal calf diarrhea, control of bovine viral diarrhea virus, congestive heart failure in feedlot cattle, beef quality assurance, bovine respiratory disease, and trichomoniasis.  He has presented at numerous local, state, national and international meetings and has published articles in professional journals as well as research reports, book chapters, extension bulletins, proceedings, magazine articles and others.

He has been active in organized veterinary medicine and livestock industry groups. He has been privileged to serve as president of the Nebraska Veterinary Medical Association (VMA), the Academy of Veterinary Consultants, the American Association of Extension Veterinarians, the Nebraska VMA Centennial Scholarship Foundation, and the Academy of Veterinary Consultants Foundation as well as numerous committee and other assignments. Of note are service as Chairman of the National Cattleman’s Beef Association Cattle Health and Well-being Committee, Chairman of the Infectious Diseases of Cattle and Bison Committee of the United States Animal Health Association and several years on the Program Committee of the American Association of Bovine Practitioners, and as Director and Secretary of the AABP Foundation. He has been honored and humbled as the Nebraska VMA Veterinarian of the Year, with two Distinguished Service Awards from the Nebraska VMA, Award of Excellence from the American Association of Bovine Practitioners, Service to Agriculture Award from the Nebraska Rural Radio Association, Industry Service Award from the Nebraska Cattlemen, the Distinguished Alumni Award from Schuyler Public Schools Foundation, the Top 20 Influential Veterinarians Recognition by Bovine Veterinarian Magazine, and is a member of the Nebraska Hall of Agricultural Achievement..

He is active in his church and continues with agricultural interests. He and his wife, Elizabeth, are parents of two grown daughters and two grandchildren.