Dr. Kelsey Hammers has joined the US-based IDEAL Animal Nutrition team as a swine nutritionist and research coordinator.
IDEAL Animal Nutrition has added Dr. Kelsey Hammers to its team and pointed out that helping pig farmers solve everyday challenges with practical, research-backed solutions is an important focus as it grows its team serving operations across the Midwest.
Dr. Hammers joins the company as swine nutritionist and research coordinator, adding nutrition expertise alongside Dr. Jeff Knott and Simon Kern while helping lead fast-expanding activity at the IDEAL Research Barn.
“We’re excited to have Kelsey join our team,” said Dr. Jeff Knott, swine nutritionist and founder/owner of IDEAL. “She brings fresh knowledge and experience that will benefit our customers and strengthen our research activities. Her work will support our main focus on delivering solutions at the slat level. It will also grow our supporting focus on generating research-backed data to guide decisions – helping our customers get better results and higher returns.”
RESEARCH SOLUTIONS FOR REAL PIG FARMING
Hammers grew up on her family’s mixed farm in Missouri (crops and cattle) and has gained a variety of agricultural experiences throughout her life. On the swine side, as a teenager, she participated in swine projects through the National FFA Organisation and was involved in the world of show pigs. As her university experience steered to a focus on swine, she also gained experience working with commercial hog facilities in production and sales roles as part of internships and summer jobs. She earned her Ph.D in Swine Nutrition at the University of Minnesota, building on a master’s degree from Kansas State University and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Missouri.
“I have enjoyed my time completing my formal education, and I am excited to start my new role at IDEAL Animal Nutrition,” said Hammers. “I feel equally at home on farms with customers and in the research barn. I am looking forward to working with and learning from the IDEAL team and customers.”
Hammers’ master’s research involved several nursery studies examining alternatives to feeding high levels of zinc oxide. Her Ph.D dissertation took a different perspective on this subject, involving studies to examine the implications of high zinc feeding on gestating sows.
“I’m excited to transition from my academic training to working in the industry with the people who are doing the hard work of raising pigs. I will relate what I’ve learned and all my experiences to assist these producers with their operations,” said Dr. Hammers.
BUILDING A TEAM TO BENEFIT CUSTOMERS
For IDEAL, having a balance of people at different career stages with a diversity of experiences and perspectives is important, said Simon Kern, who joined in 2018 after Knott started the company in 2014.
“Bringing Kelsey on board provides a nice complement to our team and adds synergy that will benefit everyone,” said Kern. “It also shows our commitment both to serving our customers and providing additional value through the activities at our research barn. Strengthening our research capacity with Kelsey will enhance our capabilities not only for conducting research but also for carrying it forward and applying it in the field. We want our customers to have the best information possible to give them an edge for getting the most out of their operations.”
