Growing up, that was not the case. A native of southeastern Ohio, Ed grew up milking cows on a small dairy/beef farm and worked his way through college at a mixed practice vet. His research for his masters and doctorate degrees involved nutrition and health in pigs.
Hired out of school as a non-ruminant nutritionist, he started to work less with traditional farm animals and more with pet and specialty animals. And those smaller customers are Ed’s focus in his work as a companion animal nutritionist for Hubbard® Feeds.
Even in his personal life, Ed, along with his wife and daughters, are very active with showing horses and dogs in 4-H and for fun.
Ed makes it his goal each day to develop or employ tools and products to share which will make a customer’s life easier, better or to help them make more money with their animals.
What motivates Ed?
“Whether I go to a farm to solve a nutrition/management concern, write an article to explain a nutrition topic, talk to someone on the phone/Internet or speak to a group of 200 4-H’ers, I still get excited about the chance to help someone. To see the expression on someone’s face when they understand a new idea about a nutrient, how they hug their horse when they win at the fair or someone telling me they are getting more money from the milk of their goats, those are great days that motivate me to do more.”
Education:
BS and MS at Ohio State University, Columbus, OH
Ph.D. at Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA
Board Certification, American College of Animal Nutrition
Livestock industry work experience:
University of Findlay, Assistant Professor of Animal Science