On May 15, AgNext Graduate Research Assistants Ashley Schilling and Lauren Newman attended the JBS/CSU Animal Science Symposia at the JBS Headquarters in Greeley. This seminar was created to build and strengthen relationships between CSU and JBS, which is a prominent partner of AgNext.
2023 is a special year for the JBS/CSU Animal Science Symposia because it is the first year that it has taken place since the COVID-19 Pandemic. This year’s seminar consisted of 16 total talks, all from Masters and PhD students. Each student was given 15 minutes to conduct a talk and answer questions about a topic of their choice within the field of Animal Sciences. Students presented to a panel of CAS faculty and JBS representatives, who evaluated each presentation and presented 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place awards with cash prizes.
Ashley Schilling conducted her talk on the topic of her Master’s thesis, which was: The Impact of Low-Level Tannin Supplementation on Enteric Methane Emissions and Animal Performance on Organic Dairy Heifers. Lauren Newman’s presentation topic was The National Lamb Quality Audit 2022: In-plant Survey of Carcass Characteristics Related to the Quality of Lamb and Mutton. Ashley and Lauren were grateful to be able to network with professionals who represented various teams from JBS, including labeling and animal welfare.
Newman discussed how the variety of presentation topics presented a unique learning experience, noting: “I was interested to see how other animal ag topics like lambs and dairy cattle would be reviewed by representatives from the meat production industry.”
According to Schilling, “it was very helpful to hear feedback on our presentations and discuss how applicable they would be to the industry.” Schilling was later awarded first place for the master’s section of the seminar and she recieved recognition from the panel, peers, and a $1000 prize for her efforts.
AgNext could not conduct cutting edge research without the support of our industry partners, which is why fostering these connections is so important. We are proud of our graduate students Ashley and Lauren for participating in this event and sharing their work with others in the field of sustainable animal agriculture.
Sydney Jansen
Communications Intern