Kelsey Hammers

I have been blessed to have been emersed in agriculture from a young age growing up in North Central Missouri on a row crop and cow-calf operation while also participating in FFA with swine projects. These experiences along with my internship opportunities in swine production drove me to pursue a career in the swine industry as a swine nutritionist. Currently, I am a Ph.D. student studying swine nutrition mentored by Dr. Lee Johnston at the University of Minnesota. I am passionate about gestating and lactating sow nutrition, where my doctoral research evaluates fetal programming effects of high zinc supplementation to gestating sows on sow and litter performance and pre-weaning mortality. Upon graduation, I aim to use my professional training and technical knowledge in the pork or feed industry to provide producers with nutritional solutions to improve pig growth. Throughout my career, I would also like to help producers take advantage of cutting-edge technologies, research, and feeding strategies that would improve producer productivity. Additionally, I believe the advocacy of animal agriculture is of utmost importance today, and I hope that I can contribute to the improvement and continuation of food animal production throughout my professional career in the swine industry.