2009

In poultry houses where broiler chickens are grown, feed is delivered through long feed lines, which are mechanized systems that automatically deliver feed from storage silos to feeding pans. Nutrients becoming unevenly distributed can lead to inconsistent feed quality, which can affect bird growth and health. To help the poultry industry determine the extent of this problem, researchers at Penn State conducted a study of how nutrient distribution affects broiler chicken performance, processing yields and bone mineralization.

The Department of Animal Science in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences has named Bob Pepple of Oxford to receive its 2025 Distinguished Dairy Science Alumnus Award for his contributions to the dairy industry.

Rebecca Krisher, global senior director of reproductive biology and gene editing for Genus plc Research and Development in DeForest, Wisconsin, has been named head of the Department of Animal Science in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences, effective Oct. 6.

Eight projects, featuring research teams representing a dozen departments across the University, have been selected to receive seed funding from the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences

The Department of Animal Science in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences has named Scott Kephart, of Clearfield, to receive its 2025 Distinguished Poultry Science Alumnus Award.

Researchers at Penn State investigated how strains of Salmonella Dublin — a type of bacteria that can cause severe illness and death in cattle and blood infections and hospitalization in humans — are evolving and spreading across humans, cattle and the environment in the United States.

Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences has launched the Land Grant Research Impact Fellows program. This new initiative recognizes and supports faculty whose research addresses pressing challenges in Pennsylvania and beyond.

Organizers of the Equine Experience at Penn State’s 2025 Ag Progress Days, Aug. 12-14, again are poised to offer crowd-favorite demonstrations for everyone from casual spectators to avid horse enthusiasts.  

Alexander N. Hristov, Ph.D., P.AS., distinguished professor of dairy nutrition in Penn State’s Department of Animal Science, was named Fellow of the American Dairy Science Association at its annual meeting in Kentucky last week.

Eight undergraduate students represented Penn State at the 2025 American Dairy Science Association—Undergraduate Student Division (ADSA-USD) meetings held in Louisville, KY, from June 20-24.

Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences has awarded funding to six faculty members across three teams to support the development of innovative curricula through the college's Harbaugh Faculty Scholars program.

A team of Penn State students, accompanied by faculty from the College of Agricultural Sciences and educators from Penn State Extension, earned honors for their research at the 2025 Equine Science Society Symposium, which was held in Fort Collins, Colorado, in early June.

Forty members of the Dairy Science Club in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences traveled to the Netherlands during spring break to learn more about global agriculture and explore a new culture.

What do chickens and people with a common reproductive disorder have in common? More than one might think — and a widely-used diabetes medication might just be the surprising link.

Siddharth Ratan, a fourth-year animal science major, didn’t always imagine himself guiding future Penn Staters. But after overcoming a difficult first-year transition, Ratan now serves as an Agricultural Advocate.

The Penn State College of Information Sciences and Technology selected six projects to receive funding from the college’s seed grant program, which provides funding to support research activities and generate preliminary results that will eventually lead to bigger projects involving external funding. 

Daniel Baum, Elizabethtown, has been selected as the 2025 Animal Science Distinguished Alumni by Penn State's Department of Animal Science. Dr. Lisa Holden, Interim Head of the Department of Animal Science, presented the award to him at Penn State on Friday, April 11, at the Stockman's Club banquet and at the Little International Livestock Exposition at the Snider Ag Arena on Saturday, April 12.

Six Penn State students traveled to Florida for the North American Intercollegiate Dairy Challenge, (NAIDC) held April 6-8 hosted by the Southern Region in Gainesville, FL. Five students also participated in the Dairy Challenge Academy.

Penn State's Block and Bridle Club received recognition at the 104th National Block and Bridle Convention held in Ames, Iowa, April 3-5, hosted by Iowa State University.

Despite U.S. per capita-milk consumption falling significantly in recent decades, according to the U.S. Department of Agricultural, Americans are consuming a record amount of dairy in butter and cheese — products made from milk fat. In a new study, a team led by researchers at Penn State demonstrated that supplementing dairy cattle feed with 15% whole cottonseed, a byproduct of processing cotton for fiber, can increase milk fat concentration and yield. 

Congratulations to Recent Award Winners in Animal Science!

Erika Ganda, an assistant professor in Penn State’s Department of Animal Science, will shed light on the essential role microbes play in maintaining healthy ecosystems and ensuring food safety in the next Virtual Speaker Series from the Penn State Alumni Association on March 25.

As part of our regular “We Are!” feature, we recognize 17 Penn Staters who have gone above and beyond what’s asked of them in their work at the University.

The Patterson family of State College, PA have donated their multiple time AQHA World and Congress Champion mare Glo InTheDark (RL Best Of Sudden X Onlyafraid Inthedark) to Penn State's Quarter Horse Breeding herd.

Many modern dairy farm operations have developed an additional revenue stream by breeding dairy cows with Black Angus beef bulls using artificial insemination to produce crossbred calves, which typically have improved meat quality and higher market value compared to purebred dairy calves. But these valuable hybrid calves often are beset with pneumonia, which was thought to limit their growth performance after they recover.

A team of researchers from Penn State have found that household dogs are an overlooked transmission point for Salmonella, a pathogen that can cause diarrhea, fever and abdominal cramps, with some infections potentially having life-threatening complications. However, they said, better awareness of the risk and proper hygiene could potentially help mitigate cross-species infections.  

The Extension Foundation’s AgriProspects Workforce Development Network recently awarded Penn State Extension a competitive mini-grant to support its “Success Skills in Spanish 4 Ag” project, which focuses on workforce development for Spanish-speaking tree-fruit growers and poultry farmers.

Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences celebrated another year of outstanding success and accomplishments in research during the 2024 Research Awards Ceremony, held Nov. 19 at the Hintz Family Alumni Center on the University Park campus.

By combining the genetic sequencing and analysis of the microbes in a milk sample with artificial intelligence (AI), researchers were able to detect anomalies in milk production, such as contamination or unauthorized additives. The new approach could help improve dairy safety, according to the study authors from Penn State, Cornell University and IBM Research.  

Thomas Pantano has been recognized as the 2024 Poultry Science Distinguished Almunus by the Department of Animal Science in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences.