2005 Livestock Judging Team

2005 Livestock Judging Team

Accomplishments

Staniar receives 2023 President’s Award for Engagement with Students

Burt Staniar, associate professor of animal science in the College of Agricultural Sciences; has received the 2023 President’s Award for Engagement with Students. The award is given to a faculty member who goes beyond his or her responsibilities to engage and encourage students in learning. The honorees have made themselves available to interact with students outside class, link students to opportunities and help them build their confidence as learners and potential contributors to society.

Students, faculty in College of Ag Sciences lauded for exceptional work

The Penn State chapter of Gamma Sigma Delta, the agricultural honor society, recognized Penn State faculty and students during its annual meeting, which was held April 5.

Peters named Penn State Animal Science Distinguished Alumna

Jana Peters, retired animal science advising coordinator, has been selected as the 2023 Animal Science Distinguished Alumna by Penn State’s Department of Animal Science.

Foundation grant to fund research on reducing methane emissions from livestock

The Foundation for Food and Agriculture has awarded a grant to a team in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences to fund research aimed at reducing enteric, or intestinal, methane emissions from cows and sheep, using plant and fungal sources.

Penn State Spur Collectors club secures outstanding college chapter awards

The Penn State Spur Collectors club, a collegiate chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation, recently received two L.A. Dixon, Jr. Memorial Outstanding Collegiate Chapter awards at the 47th annual National Wild Turkey Federation Convention in Nashville, Tennessee.

Peters Named Penn State Animal Science Distinguished Alumnus

Jana Peters, retired Animal Science Advising Coordinator, has been selected as the 2023 Animal Science Distinguished Alumnus by Penn State’s Department of Animal Science. She was honored at the 105th Little I, held April 1 at the Snider Agricultural Arena.

Animal science alumna interns with Save the Elephants

Studying abroad is the dream of many students, and one Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences alumna used her undergraduate study abroad experiences as the foundation for her continued academic studies and a once-in-a-lifetime internship.  

Workshop series to focus on workforce development in animal agriculture

An interdisciplinary team of educators and faculty from Penn State Extension and Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences is investigating methods to improve skill sets and increase diversity in the livestock production workforce, with the goal of eliminating workforce barriers and enhancing secure food animal production. As part of this work, Penn State Extension is offering a free monthly workshop series, from March to May, focused on workforce development in animal agriculture.

New partnership will address health and food safety challenges in Kenya

Representatives from Penn State, Meru University of Science and Technology, and Meru County in Kenya signed a memorandum of understanding in a ceremony in Kenya to formally commence their new partnership. This collaboration also will involve the Technical University of Denmark.

Penn State Extension beef cattle specialist receives Pa. Dairy Innovator Award

Tara Felix, associate professor of animal science in the College of Agricultural Sciences and beef cattle specialist with Penn State Extension, recently received the Pennsylvania Dairy Innovator Award from the Center for Dairy Excellence.

Graduate student in College of Ag Sciences gets USDA-APHIS training fellowship

A Penn State graduate student has received a highly competitive and prestigious fellowship from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service to participate in its National Scientist Training Program

Block and Bridle Club First in Nation

Penn State’s Block and Bridle Club was recognized nationally as first in the nation for chapter activities at the 102nd national Block and Bridle Convention hosted by Louisiana State University Jan. 31 – Feb. 3 in New Orleans. Penn State’s Collegiate Cattlewomen Club was also in attendance.

Pasto Ag Museum, Penn State Equine Science focus of College Connections series

Registration is now open for the next two sessions of College Connections, a monthly webinar series designed to give a unique, inside perspective of the programs, people, priorities and partnerships of the Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences.

Penn State Poultry Science Club Named National Club of the Year

Penn State’s Department of Animal Science’s Poultry Club was named National Club of the Year competition at the 2023 International Poultry and Processing Exposition (IPPE) in Atlanta, GA, Jan. 24-26.

Researcher gets $2M grant to test feed additives’ effect on methane emissions

Alex Hristov, Penn State distinguished professor of dairy nutrition, has received a $2 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to conduct studies to determine whether supplementing the feed of lactating dairy cows with either 3-Nitrooxypropanol or a species of red seaweed reduces the amount of methane emitted by the animals in the long-term.

Graduate student in College of Ag Sciences gets USDA-APHIS training fellowship

A graduate student in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences has received a highly competitive and prestigious fellowship from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service to participate in its National Scientist Training Program.

Loerch retires as senior associate dean in College of Agricultural Sciences

Steven Loerch forged an illustrious career as a land-grant animal scientist, teacher, extension specialist and administrator spanning more than four decades. He reflected on his experiences as he approached his retirement as senior associate dean in the College of Agricultural Sciences, effective Dec. 31.

Too much of a good thing: Over-supplementation of chickens' diet backfires

When it comes to supplementing the diet of laying hens with omega-3 fatty acids to enrich their eggs — making them more heart healthy for consumers — some supplementation is good, but too much is bad for the chickens and can negatively affect their egg production.

Penn State Poultry Judging Team Places First in Nation Again
Experts remind poultry flock owners that avian flu risk remains

Outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza, which struck Pennsylvania in early 2022, have continued into the fall. And that has prompted poultry experts in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences to emphasize, once again, the importance of sound biosecurity measures for owners of backyard and commercial flocks.

Longtime Ag Sciences donors deepen connection through graduate scholarship

Philanthropy often provides an avenue of connection between a donor and an organization, creating and strengthening a relationship that can last for years. For alumnus Mark Saunders and his partner, Lynn Walker, longtime donors to the College of Agricultural Sciences, funding undergraduate scholarships has done just that. To further deepen that connection, Saunders and Walker have committed $250,000 to endow a graduate scholarship.

Dairy nutritionist gets USDA grant to study effect of cows’ diet on milk fat

A Penn State animal scientist has received a four-year, $650,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture to study the regulation of fatty acid metabolism in dairy cows with the goal of boosting revenues and efficiency on farms by increasing milk fat and optimizing use of dietary fat in cow rations.

Adding fungal enzymes to dairy cow rations boosts milk output and quality

Supplementing the feed of dairy cattle with enzymes from two funguses simultaneously has a positive effect on the animals’ lactational performance, according to Penn State researchers, who studied the concept in an experiment with cows.

Pulsed light technology effectively kills harmful pathogens in new study

A light-based food sanitization technique successfully eliminated multiple harmful pathogens in a new study carried out by Penn State researchers.

After a two-year hiatus, College of Ag Sciences resumes study abroad programs

After a two-year pause due to the pandemic, students in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences once again are taking advantage of study abroad opportunities. In the spring semester, students visited countries around the world, including Spain, Ireland, Germany and Kenya.

Manure Expo focuses on farm-level agronomic, economic and environmental advances

As Pennsylvania works to meet its goals under a federally led program to improve water quality in the Chesapeake Bay watershed, Penn State Extension is hosting an event aimed at helping agricultural producers to reduce negative impacts of excess manure nutrients on local and downstream waterways. The 2022 North American Manure Expo will take place July 13-14 near Chambersburg.

Penn State Equine Research Team explores New York horse industry during trip

The Penn State Equine Research Team in the College of Agricultural Sciences recently traveled to upstate New York to present research at Cornell University while also gaining knowledge about the New York horse industry.  

Grow your beef stockmanship skills at upcoming field day

The Pennsylvania Cattlemen’s Association and Penn State Extension will present the annual Beef Summer Field Day on Saturday, July 23, at the Herr Angus Farm in Nottingham.

Animal science professor named Walther H. Ott Professor in Avian Biology

Ramesh Ramachandran, professor of reproductive biology in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences, has been named the Walther H. Ott Professor in Avian Biology.

Existing technologies can help world meet agricultural methane targets by 2030

Amid the frequent bad news about climate change, some potentially good news has emerged: Existing technologies, diligently applied, could enable the world to meet the target set for reducing agricultural methane emissions by 2030, say researchers.