American Feed Industry Assn Announces Award Winners

Jeffrey L. Firkins, Ph.D., an expert on ruminant animal nutrition and production, was recognized for his professional achievements by the American Dairy Science Association. Dr. Firkins is a professor of animal science and director of nutrition for The Ohio State University.

The Dairy Science Ruminant Animal Nutrition Award was presented to Firkins by Mike Dubois, Omega Proteins, during the annual ADSA meeting in Phoenix, Arizona, last week. The award is sponsored by the American Feed Industry Association as part of its continuing awards program that dates back to 1948. Dubois presented the award on behalf of AFIA.

As a professor of animal science in OSU’s College of Food, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences at the Food Innovation Center, Dr. Firkins focuses on the supply of microbial protein to the small intestine of dairy cattle to reduce losses of nitrogen and emission of methane into the environment. His research helps to improve the fatty acid composition of milk to improve consumer acceptance and profitability of dairy production.

Dr. Firkins earned his bachelor’s degree in animal science and his master’s and doctorate degrees in ruminant nutrition from the University of Illinois. His past honors include the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center’s Junior Faculty Research Award, the ADSA Applied Dairy Nutrition Award and the Research Award of Merit of the OSU chapter of Gamma Sigma Delta.

In addition to authoring and serving as reviewer for numerous academic journal articles, Dr. Firkins is the associate editor of the British Journal of Nutrition and has served as editor of Invited Papers and Ruminant Nutrition sections of the Journal of Animal Science.

Cornelis F.M. (Kees) de Lange, Ph.D., professor of swine nutrition at the University of Guelph, Canada, was recognized for his professional achievements by the American Society of Animal Science last week. The Nonruminant Nutrition Research Award was presented to de Lange during the annual ASAS meeting July 16 in Phoenix, Arizona. The award is sponsored by the AFIA to stimulate research excellence in the nutrition of non-ruminant animals.

Dr. de Lange specializes in nutrient metabolism and utilization in the growing pig, supporting growth of sustainable pork production systems and nutrient utilization in growing-finishing pigs. Specific areas of focus include: dietary means to reduce the negative impact of pig production on the environment, improving pork meat quality and enhancing gut health and development in newly weaned piglets.

As a professor in the Department of Animal and Poultry Science at the University of Guelph since 1994, Dr. de Lange also served as pork research coordinator from 2002 to 2009. He received his Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees in animal science from the Agricultural University in Wageningen, the Netherlands. He holds a doctorate in swine nutrition from the University of Alberta.

Dr. de Lange has co-authored more than 120 peer-reviewed book chapters and scientific publications, and more than 300 extension publications. He is also a former member of the executive of the Canadian Society of Animal Science and has served on the editorial board of the Canadian Journal of Animal Science.

N. Andy Cole, Ph.D., an expert on ruminant animal nutrition and production, was recognized for his professional achievements by the American Society of Animal Science this week. Cole is the research leader of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS) Laboratory in Bushland, Texas.

The Ruminant Animal Nutrition Award was presented July 16 during the annual American Society of Animal Science meeting in Phoenix, Arizona. The award is sponsored by the American Feed Industry Association as part of its continuing awards program that dates back to 1948.

Dr. Cole received his Bachelor of Science degree from West Texas State University, and his master’s and doctorate degrees from Oklahoma State University. He joined USDA-ARS Laboratory in Bushland, Texas, in 1976, where his research focused on nutrition and management of transport-stressed feeder calves, and more recently, environmental issues of importance to concentrated beef cattle feeding operations.

As a leading researcher in the industry, Dr. Cole has received over $2 million in grants over the last decade. He is a past recipient of the ASAS Animal Management and Fellow Awards and has served as Secretary of the American Registry of Professional Animal Scientists.

Dr. Cole has authored more than 200 publications and served on the editorial boards of the Journal of Animal Science and Professional Animal Scientist, and is an editor of the Journal of Animal Science.

William A. Dozier, III, Ph.D., a poultry nutrition expert, was recognized for his professional achievements by the Poultry Science Association earlier this month. Dr. Dozier is a professor at Auburn University.

The Poultry Nutrition Research Award was presented to Dr. Dozier during the annual PSA meeting July 12 in Phoenix, Arizona. The award is sponsored by the American Feed Industry Association, as part of its continuing awards program that dates back to 1948. Dr. Jon Goodson of Evonik Industries, presented the award to Dr. Dozier on behalf of AFIA. Dr. Goodson is a member of the AFIA Nutrition Committee.

Dr. Dozier is an associate professor of animal science for Auburn’s department of Poultry Science, where he specializes determining dietary amino acid requirements of broilers, dietary energy and enzymes and co-product utilization. Prior to Auburn, Dr. Dozier studied the nutritional needs of broilers for the USDA Poultry Research Unit in Starkville, Mississippi.

Dr. Dozier has senior-authored 42 and co-authored 49 peer-reviewed manuscripts. He is an associate editor for the Journal of Applied Poultry Research and Journal of Poultry Science.

He earned his bachelor’s degree in animal and dairy science from Auburn, his master’s degree in animal science from the University of Kentucky and his doctorate in poultry science from Auburn University.

Terry J. Klopfenstein, Ph.D., professor of ruminant nutrition at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, was recognized for his professional achievements by the Federation of Animal Science Societies (FASS) on July 17. This is the 65th year the American Feed Industry Association has presented nutrition research awards, and the ninth consecutive year AFIA has sponsored the FASS award.

The FASS New Frontiers in Animal Nutrition Award, which is similar to a lifetime achievement award, was presented to Klopfenstein during a recent conference of animal science societies in Phoenix, Arizona. A committee of FASS members selected Klopfenstein for the honor, which was presented by Dr. Tom Earleywine, Land O’Lakes Milk Products, on behalf of AFIA. Dr. Earleywine is chair of the AFIA Nutrition Committee.

The purpose of the New Frontiers in Animal Nutrition Award is to stimulate, acknowledge and reward pioneering and innovative research relevant to animal nutrition. Among the qualities the award recipient must demonstrate are outstanding and innovative contributions to nutrition research concerning animals that benefit mankind and/or the nutritional value of food from animals.

Dr. Klopfenstein specializes in beef production systems, forage and protein utilization, waste management, protein nutrition and growing and finishing cattle. He is an internationally respected scientist and dedicated teacher who has given the livestock industry outstanding leadership and service during his 45 years of teaching and research.

Dr. Klopfenstein earned his bachelor’s in animal science and his master’s and doctorate degrees in ruminant nutrition from The Ohio State University, where he received the Distinguished Alumnus Award in 1983. He joined the University of Nebraska in 1965 and held the Wagner Professorship from 1989-2007.

His numerous accolades from Nebraska include the Walnut Grove Livestock Service Award, the Holling Family Teaching Award, the College of Agriculture Teaching Award, the Alumni Association Excellence in Graduate Education Award and induction into the Nebraska Hall of Achievement.

Other prestigious awards include the AFMA-ASAS Nutrition Award, the 2004 U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Honor Award and the Mexican Association of Animal Production Distinguished Honorary Member Award. He was also honored with establishment of The Terry Klopfenstein Student Excellence Fund, an endowment at Nebraska-Lincoln which provides scholarships.

As a leader in the industry, Dr. Klopfenstein has served as president of the Federation of Animal Science Society, the American Society of Animal Science and the Midwest Section American Society of Animal Science.

To date, he has authored 265 refereed articles, 561 abstracts, and 636 technical publications and mentored over 150 graduate students.