At AgNext, our mission is to identify and scale sustainable solutions for animal agriculture. The combination of our world-renowned team and our state-of-the-art research facility has allowed us to start to tackle some of the complex challenges in animal agriculture. As our team developed, we noticed a need for the academia-producer connection so that our research would start to be implemented.

Enter Anna Shadbolt – AgNext’s Grazing Management Outreach and Research Coordinator. Since beginning with AgNext in January 2023, Anna has become an integral part of our team where she communicates sustainable solutions developed by AgNext to various producers and practicing ranches. “I want to be the liaison between research and the public,” said Shadbolt.

Anna was born and raised on a cattle ranch in the Sandhills of Nebraska, where she was exposed to cattle raising practices. Her exposer to this lifestyle then led her to gain her bachelor’s degree in Human Dimensions of Natural Resources at CSU, where she then implemented her learnings at the USDA and now at AgNext. Her experience with the Animal Science field has truly gone full circle.

She wants the research surrounding sustainable practices to be shared because she finds that there can be a large disconnect between knowledge and what people are doing. She wonders why research would be conducted if it is not used for its purpose.

“I want to take what we are learning, what we are studying and put it into practice,” said Shadbolt. “Then we can see what happens, see what feedback ranchers have and take it back to the drawing board.”

With the growing need for sustainable practices and the influx of research that is being conducted, Anna believes that many people are more trusting of science and willing to implement the practices that are being studied at AgNext.

Since the cattle industry is so important, Anna understands that many ranchers are willing to try new things to maintain their land and income. It can be daunting to change traditional practices, “but people may be inclined to try new practices, even in little doses, to create a positive shift.” said Shadbolt.

As she continues her work at AgNext, Anna wants to integrate her love for academia and knowledge in Animal Sciences and Natural Resources to spread information that is applicable to the cattle industry. She is hoping to do this by searching for ways to create more digestible and appealing information that can be spread to better the industry. 

Anna knows that that cattle industry is so important for many and so by spreading word of new practices and seeing the implementation of them she said, “the goal is to be better, and I know we can.”