Thank You Animal Science Nutritionists

Written by: AFIA Editor   |   October 16, 2024

Awards, Nutrition, Animal nutrition

Every year, the American Feed Industry Association (AFIA) sponsors various nutrition research awards that honor animal scientists who advance animal nutrition, both with their research programs and by mentoring young industry leaders. The 2024 winners are listed below. Thank you all for your passion and dedication! 

AFIA/American Dairy Science Association Nutrition Research Award

Mary Beth Hall, Ph.D., is a research animal scientist in dairy cattle nutrition with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service at the U.S. Dairy Forage Research Center in Madison, Wisconsin. She received her bachelor’s and doctoral degrees from Cornell University and her master’s degree from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. Before earning her doctorate, Hall worked as a county agricultural cooperative extension agent in New York. After earning her doctorate, she served as an associate professor in dairy cattle nutrition research and extension at the University of Florida. With a focus on the industry’s needs, her research centered on non-fiber carbohydrates — their analysis in feeds, utilization by rumen microbes and impact on cow performance. Read more>>

AFIA/American Society of Animal Scientists Award in Ruminant Nutrition

Kristin Hales, Ph.D., currently holds the Thornton Distinguished Chair in the Department of Animal and Food Science at Texas Tech University. She has used her skills as a ruminant nutritionist to impact several critical areas in the beef industry. A major testament to the beef industry’s acceptance of her research is her ability to secure more than $2.2 million in external funding in just four years. Over the course of her career, Hales and colleagues have published a remarkable 105 peer-reviewed publications. She has served as the major advisor for four doctoral and six master’s students and has been a committee member for 18 additional graduate students. Hales has also served as associate editor and acting editor-in-chief for Applied Animal Science and is currently president of the American Society of Professional Animal Scientists and president of the Plains Nutrition Council. She and her husband, Chris, live in Lubbock, Texas, and are avid bass fishermen. Read more>>

AFIA/Poultry Science Association Poultry Nutrition Award

Sami Dridi, Ph.D., professor of avian endocrinology and molecular genetics in the Department of Poultry Science at the University of Arkansas, is a pioneer researcher investigating the molecular mechanisms underlying feed and water efficiency, heat stress responses and metabolic disorders in broilers, as well as the mode of action of feed additives. He earned his master’s and doctoral degrees from the Polytechnic Institute of Lorraine and the National Institute of Agricultural Research in France and his higher degree from the University of Paris XI, France. He has served as a quality inspector in the poultry industry and has joined several international labs. He has published more than 200 publications, 13 book chapters, one book, edited one book and co-edited Sturkie’s Avian Physiology, 7th edition. Dridi’s work has been cited 11,020 times with an H-index of 33, and he has secured more than $25 million in funding. Dridi has advised more than 26 scientists and served on 50 advisory committees. Among his accomplishments, he has participated on panels, reviewed 74 journals, served on three editorial boards and is a member of Poultry Science Association and World Poultry Science Association. Read more>>

AFIA/American Society of Animal Scientists Award in Nonruminant Nutrition

John Pluske, Ph.D., is a consultant, chief executive officer and chief scientist of the Australasian Pork Research Institute Ltd., an honorary professorial fellow at the University of Melbourne, Australia, and a fellow of the Australasian Pig Science Association (2015). Pluske holds a bachelor’s degree in agriculture and a doctoral degree from the University of Western Australia. He has worked at universities in Australia, Canada and New Zealand, with sabbaticals at the University of Guelph and Kansas State University, where he served as the inaugural Fulbright Distinguished Chair in Agriculture and Life Sciences. Pluske’s major research focuses on the nutrition and physiology of pigs. He has published more than 550 articles in non-ruminant sciences. His research has been cited over 15,300 times, with an H-index of 56 (Google Scholar). Pluske has supervised 30 doctoral, master’s and postdoctoral scholars and mentored many scientists. He has delivered more than 115 invited addresses and secured research funding nearing (AU) $12 million.

FASS-AFIA Award

James Drackley, Ph.D., is a professor of animal sciences at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. The transition period from three weeks before to three weeks after calving is recognized as the most critical period of the lactation cycle in dairy cows. Drackley and his research group have made seminal discoveries in nutritional management strategies to improve metabolic adaptation to lactation and decrease health disorders around calving. His studies have shown that even modest overfeeding of energy during the dry period predisposes cows to ketosis and other health disorders after calving. Feeding a bulky, low-energy diet to limit energy intake to near requirements enables cows to transition to lactation more successfully. This concept of "controlled energy" or "Goldilocks" diets fed during the dry period has been adopted worldwide. Through his research, Drackley has elucidated new mechanisms of fatty liver and ketosis development, many of which are similar to those underlying insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. The results of Drackley's work have improved animal well-being and increased producer profitability on dairy farms around the world. For his contributions to reducing disease and improving dairy cattle productivity, Drackley is a deserving recipient of the Federation of Animal Science Societies–AFIA New Frontiers in Animal Nutrition Award. Read more>>