News

April McCain, an Animal Sciences Graduate student at MSU, will spend the spring semester in Vietnam working as a Borlaug Fellow. She is conducting the first safety survey on meat and poultry products in Vietnam.

MSU student researcher presents findings

08/08/2014

Blaire Fleming, an undergraduate research assistant in the Department of Animal and Dairy Sciences, presented her project titled "Effects of dietary melatonin supplementation on total serum nitrates and antioxidant capacity of late gestating Holstein heifers" at the 2014 Undergraduate Research Symposium. Ms. Fleming placed second in the oral presentations category under the biological sciences discipline. In addition, Ms. Fleming presented a poster titled "Effects of supplementing Holstein heifers with dietary melatonin during late gestation on serum antioxidant capacity and anti-Müllerian hormone of offspring" at the Joint Annual Meeting in Kansas City, MO. Ms. Fleming is working under the guidance of Dr. Caleb Lemley.

MSU hosts young animal scientists

07/26/2014

Ph.D. Graduate Student Position

07/22/2014

Record livestock prices create curious dilemma

07/11/2014

Summer in South Africa widened students' horizons

06/03/2014

Extension Service teams assess ag disaster sites

05/02/2014

MSU Livestock Judging Team at "All East" contest

04/15/2014

The MSU Livestock Judging Team wrapped up the spring season by receiving awards at the "All East" contest hosted by Purdue University in West Lafayette, IN April 10-12, 2014! Matt Janzen was recognized as the 10th high individual in swine evaluation. His teammate, Justin Hall was 6th in cattle selection and went on to rank 15th overall in the selection portion of the contest!

ADS Banquet

04/04/2014

The Department of Animal and Dairy Sciences held their annual Scholarship Banquet on Friday April 4th, 2014. As in years past, senior students were recognized at the banquet along with fellow underclassmen who were awarded scholarships. Thanks to the generosity of many alumni and friends, the Department was able to award over $22,000 in scholarships this year. This year, students who qualified as Scholars of the American Society of Animal Science were also recognized at the banquet along with the Outstanding Senior Student: Liesel Grossner Schneider, and the Outstanding Graduate Student: Ben Voelz.

Youth livestock judging camps coming in June

03/28/2014

A separate day camp on June 6th will be held for younger youth (ages 9-13) as well as adult coaches and volunteer leaders. This day camp will be conducted with an instructional method and level targeting the kids. Coaches will benefit by observing the teaching methods used on the kids, and they?ll learn about the format and note-taking methods used for oral reasons. This should be a day filled with learning for the kids, and it should give coaches ideas and material to take home and develop these new skills in their students. The focus of this camp will be to develop an understanding of the basics of evaluation and judging as well as general note-taking methods. The kids will do NO actual delivery of reasons during this camp. A three-day camp will then be held June 9-11 for older youth (ages 14 and up) and will entail a combination of classroom lectures, live animal evaluation on the farm, oral reasons and lab exercises.

Download more information

MSU student places first in Midwest competition

03/27/2014

Blaire Fleming is a 2013 CALS/MAFES undergraduate researcher working with Dr. Caleb Lemley. Ms. Fleming presented her project titled "Effects of dietary melatonin supplementation on total serum nitrates and antioxidant capacity of late gestating Holstein heifers" (JAS 92(2):244) as part of the Midwest American Society of Animal Science undergraduate research contest. Ms. Fleming placed first in this competition.

MSU at Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo

03/26/2014

The Mississippi State University Livestock Judging Team has returned home from yet another successful trip! We would like to congratulate team member Justin Hall for ranking 69 out of 130 contestants in the "placing" division at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo.

MSU Livestock Judging Team

02/28/2014

The MSU Livestock Judging Team celebrates progress after returning home from the San Antonio Stock Show in San Antonio, TX. Now, after having been in three contests, MSU?s Melissa Steichen has ranked among the top half of contestants in placing classes every time out. We congratulate her on a successful performance at San Antonio where she ranked 48th in placings out of 101 contestants from universities across the country!

Academic Insight

02/27/2014

Academic Insight was hugely successful this year! Jessica Graves, Undergraduate Coordinator/ Instructor and event coordinator, reported that over 40 students, from 9 different states experienced hands-on activities including:

milking cows
collecting rumen fluid
"branding" horses

Prospective students and their guest had the opportunity to mingle with current students, faculty and staff to gain ?insight? on what the Department has to offer. Many student clubs were represented to provide information on the opportunities to get plugged in. Please check out the photos on our Facebook page.

Dairy Team News

01/30/2014

Please join me in congratulating Kenneth Graves and his team on the excellent service that they provide our Department. Due to their hard work and superior farm management skills, the Bearden Research Centers Jersey heard was in the top five in the nation once again as reported by the American Jersey Cattle Association.

Your 2013 AJCA Lactation Average is:
23,835M, 1,177F, 827P on 26 lactations
Nationally overall your herd ranks: 3rd for milk and fat
Among your herd size of 10-39 lactations, you rank:
2nd for milk, 3rd for fat and 5th for protein

Congratulations Kenneth, We really appreciate all that you and your team does for the Department, College and University. - Dr. John Blanton Jr., Professor and Head of Animal & Dairy Sciences

Judging Team News

01/30/2014

The Mississippi State University Livestock Judging Team has returned home from a successful trip to the 2014 National Western Stock Show in Denver, CO. We would like to congratulate Melissa Steichen for ranking among the top 20 high individuals in placings!

We invite you to follow us on Facebook for continued updates on our success.

Dairy Challenge Team Success

11/22/2013

Congratulations to the Dairy Challenge Team. They recently attended the Southern Regional Dairy Challenge in Baton Rouge, LA and did an outstanding job. At the southern contest the students are broken up into aggregate teams and this year MSU members were on 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and two 5th place teams. There were 12 teams in total, with almost 60 students representing 11 schools from the Southern region.

The dairy club next will be attending the ADSA Student Affiliate Division Southern Meeting in Blacksburg, VA in January 2014 and the Dairy Challenge team will travel to the national competition in Fort Wayne, IN in April 2014.

ADS students participate in Pathways to Possibilities

11/12/2013

MSU Dairy Science Club wins big at state fair

10/22/2013

Natural horsemanship promotes leadership

10/22/2013

MSU horses for sale in first online auction

10/16/2013

2013 Animal and Dairy Sciences Alumni Reunion

10/01/2013

MSU scientists study reproduction mysteries

08/30/2013

Bulldogs enjoy beef dinner, learn about beef industry

08/22/2013

MSU associate provost made honorary member of college

08/22/2013

Young researchers study reproductive challenges

07/26/2013

Field day showcases the White Sand Unit

07/03/2013

MSU Livestock Judging Camps

06/03/2013

Two separate camps will be held for livestock judging. The MSU Livestock Judging Camp is for participants 14 and up and will be held July 29-31. A separate Day Camp is for younger participants (ages 9-13) and will be held August 1. Sign up today!

Cattle producers turn to MSU for reproduction class

05/10/2013

Beef and forage field day set for May 18

04/23/2013

ADS Instructor and student honored

04/11/2013

Two CALS/MAFES awards were given to members of the ADS department. Dr. Carolyn Huntington won the 2013 Excellence in Teaching - lower division award for her excellence in teaching primarily freshman in Introduction to Animal Science. Kaitlyn Hardin won the 2013 Excellence in Research award in the undergraduate student division for the research she conducted involving dairy calves. Congratulations to both of them!

Spring 2013 awards

04/11/2013

The ADS Annual Scholarship and Awards banquet was held on April 2nd, 2013. During the event, 21 scholarships were awarded to students, totally approximately $18,000. The ability to award these scholarships depends on the contributions of donors and students are extremely appreciative of the support.

MSU Block and Bridle attends national convention

04/11/2013

Six students involved in the Block and Bridle club traveled to Ames, Iowa in April for the National Block and Bridle Convention. Over 500 students from 34 schools participated. Students went on tours of industry locations all across Iowa, participated in the Pride of Schools Fair, listened to industry speakers and attended workshops, and attended the banquet where the MSU club received 2nd place for webpage and 5th place for scrapbook. There was even some time for fun, with a concert and a dance in the evenings. Pictured are (l to r) Matt Janzen, Katie Cagle, Cori Webb, Victoria Dixon, Shawna Blau, and Alex Holtcamp.

Conference keeps dairy professionals current

12/18/2012

MSU horse, beef cattle auction set for Nov. 15

10/31/2012

MSU names animal, dairy sciences head

10/30/2012

Field day to address beef cattle research

10/24/2012

Experts converge to discuss forage

10/24/2012

2012 Annual Report

10/22/2012

Equestrian Team brings home honors

10/09/2012

The Mississippi State University Equestrian Team had a very successful western riding competition last weekend at North Georgia University in Dahlonega, Georgia. The team consisted of Leigh Beckman, Amanda Havard, Callie Cornelison, Lyndsey Senn, Caroline Garner, and Team Captains Emerald Barrett and Emma Stamps. The team brought home a second, third, fourth, four fifth, and two sixth place ribbons. This show was the start of the show season for the team and is the start of the team showing in a new region against teams from Georgia, Alabama, and South and North Carolina. The next show will be both a western and english show at Berry College on Oct. 20th. A special thanks to graduate teaching assistant Toree Bova for helping out with the team members during riding laboratories and to Brianna Tisdale, ADS senior, Mandy Youngblood, ADS alumni, and Patrick First, ADS alumni and CVM student, for their assistance with practices outside of the classroom. It looks to be a very successful show season in our new region.

2012 ADS Newsletter

09/10/2012

MSU, science teachers develop genomic lessons

07/19/2012

Department Head Position

06/28/2012

Spring 2012 Award

06/08/2012

Congratulations to Kenneth Graves, dairy herder, who received the Zacharais Distinguished Service Award.

Instructor / Undergraduate Coordinator

05/31/2012

Instructor/Livestock Management

05/31/2012

Assistant Extension Professor

05/23/2012

MSU Dairy Science Club

10/03/2011

Twelve members of the MSU Dairy Science Club took animals from the MSU dairy to exhibit at the Mississippi State Fair Open Dairy Show. The entries from Mississippi State were honored with several top 5 placings, 3 class winners, as well as Junior, Senior, and Grand Champion titles. Each member halter broke, trained, and fitted their own animal for the show. The club also sold t-shirts and helped as needed with the Junior show and special classes. Participants included: Paige Nicholson, Kaitlyn Hardin, Chelsea Meyer, Rachel Howell, Ashleigh Thomas, Stephanie Opp, Kellie Kaletsch, Colby Hardin, Kristin Barnett, Becca Broome, Haley Kerr, and Melissa Steichen.

Assistant/Associate Professor-Reproductive Physiology

06/23/2011

Assistant Professor - Non-Reminant Nutrition Announcement

05/27/2011

2011 ADS Banquet

04/01/2011

Scholarships were awarded to students at the awards banquet in April. Back row, l to r: Jordan Craig, Ryan Andrews, Rachel Montgomery, Taylor King, Reagan Bugg, Ryan Kennedy, Ashleigh Thomas, Rachel Howell, Kaitlyn Hardin, Lacy Priest. Front row, l to r: Emerald Barrett, Kathleen Barton, Cori Webb, Matt Woolfolk, Lanna Durst, Chelsea Meyer.

Spring 2011 Awards

04/01/2011

Ms. Ann Leed has recieved both the Upper Division and Overall 2011 CALS Excellence in Teaching Award
Dr. Carolyn Huntington has received the 2011 Jefcoat Excellence in Advising Award for faculty and the 2011 National Academic Advising Association Outstanding Advising Award for faculty
Mr. Kenneth Grave, Dairy Herdsman, has received the MAFES Research Support Staff Award
Dr. Peter Ryan has received the 2011 MAFES Outstanding Publication Award
Dr. Erdogan Memili has received the 2011 MAFES/CALS Faculty Research Award

MSU hosts Southern Regional Dairy Challenge

11/01/2010

Mississippi State University hosted the 5th Annual Southern Regional Dairy Challenge Competition in November, 2010. This competition is a 2-day event where students conduct on-farm evaluations, given production and financial data from two local dairy farms. They present their suggestions to a panel of judges from the dairy industry. It was a big undertaking and a great compliment for Mississippi State to be chosen as host school. This year, we had 15 schools and 70 students compete on two local dairies owned by Jeremy and Beth Graham (Graham Dairy Farm) and Grandy Ladner/Darren McGee (Heritage Dairy Farm). We are very grateful to these producers for opening their farms to the students and allowing them to critique their operations. The students gain valuable experience when they are able to see real farms at that level, and hopefully the producers gained helpful suggestions for improvements.

The MSU team of students did great and represented the state well! Farm owner Jeremy Graham, team members Rachel Howell (Silver), Kaitlyn Harden (Platinum), Kellie Kaletsch (Gold), Ashleigh Thomas (Gold), McKenzi Hunter (Silver), and farm owner Grandy Ladner are pictured above.

2010 Academic Quadrathlon held

11/01/2010

The Department of Animal and Dairy Sciences conducted the 2010 annual Academic Quadrathlon event in November. Many students participated with five teams total and the competition consisted of a laboratory practical, a written exam, an oral presentation and a quiz bowl. The winning team (pictured above) were Charles Huckaby, Matt Woolfolk, Angel Henderson, and Monty Stanley.

2010 ADS Banquet

04/01/2010

The banquet is a time for our clubs to share about their activities held in the past year as well as the announcements of all our scholarship winners. The 2010 scholarship recipients are pictured.

2010 Academic Quadrathlon

02/01/2010

This year's Academic Quadrathlon team placed 3rd in competition at the Southern Section meeting of the American Society of Animal Science held in Florida in February. Congratulations to the team and their coach, Dr. Brian Rude! Team members (left to right) Samantha Lesniewski, Becky Telle, Garrett Steede, Steven Davidson and Coach Dr. Brian Rude.

2009 Department of Animal and Dairy Sciences Reunion

09/01/2009

Held in September on campus, the reunion brought together former students and faculty of the department, as well as current students, staff and faculty. Along with food and fellowship, visitors got to tour our animal facilities on campus and brush up on their animal judging skills. Alumnus Andy Williamson and his band The Town Square Pickers entertained us with live music. It was great to see old friends and we look forward to having another reunion in a few years!

Quick Links

STUDENT SPOTLIGHT

Meet Madi Keller

Visit our Student Spotlights