News

Each year, the Department of Animal Science hosts its annual Connecting with U - Animal Science Showcase to celebrate the accomplishments of faculty, students, and alumni in the Department who have made contributions to our field of study. An important aspect of this event is the recognition of the Golden Alumni Award recipients. Nominations for the 2025 Golden Alumni Awards are now being accepted. You can find more information and the link for nominations here.

Thank you for your support of the Animal Science Department on the 2024 Give to the Max Day! With your help, we raised $2,020 to go towards the Student Fund for Study Abroad Learning Opportunities, which helps students gain a global perspective of animal science and maximize their college experience. We are humbled and honored to have exceeded our goal, which would not have been possible without our generous community. 

Congratulations to Brad Heins for being named 2024 Distinguished Extension Faculty at the 2024 Dean's Awards for UMN Extension!  This is a well-deserved recognition of Brad's accomplishments in Extension and his programming that has truly impacted the dairy industry. 

Mark your calendars for Give to the Max Day, Minnesota’s state-wide day of giving where we band together to make our state a better place. This year, the Department of Animal Science is raising money towards study abroad programs for Animal Science students. To find more information please click this link.  

The 2024 University of Minnesota Livestock Judging Team has been on the road and representing our college extremely well this fall. The team has been hard at work practicing and honing in their skills to be best prepared for the contest. The team has showcased their talents at two recent contests, where they placed as the high team overall each time. They first traveled to Tennessee and later to Pennsylvania. 

For many youth, the culmination of their junior dairy judging career rests on the Intercollegiate Dairy Judging Contest at World Dairy Expo. Years of practice, a love for dairy cattle, and a brain full of reasons terminology are put to the test during a long day of judging classes, giving reasons, and waiting for the results.

When the final awards were announced at the banquet held Sunday night following the 2024 national contests, the University of Minnesota judges and their coaches had plenty to smile about. That’s because their team was named the winner of the 2024 Intercollegiate Dairy Judging Contest.

The National Pork Board's Real Pork Scholars is a professional executive mentorship program for graduate students designed to leave a lasting impact on participants and the U.S. pork industry. Sudario Roberto Silva Junior is one of two U of M awardees, for his research focusing on swine nutrition and promoting sustainable and ethical pig production practices.

Assistant professor Isaac Salfer chatted with KSTP-TV on National Farmer's Day, highlighting the U of M Dairy Cattle Teaching and Research Farm and sharing his perspective on students finding interest in the dairy industry once they gain exposure to the field.

It was a glorious day for the Gophers!

For many youth, the culmination of their junior dairy judging career rests on the Intercollegiate Dairy Judging Contest at World Dairy Expo. Years of practice, a love for dairy cattle, and a brain full of reasons terminology are put to the test during a long day of judging classes, giving reasons, and waiting for the results.

When the final awards were announced at the banquet held Sunday night following the 2023 national contests, the University of Minnesota judges and their coaches had plenty to smile about. That’s because their team was named the winner of the 2023 Intercollegiate Dairy Judging Contest.