AFIA honors ruminant and non-ruminant experts with annual awards

Mike Tokach, Ph.D., a professor and state leader of Extension at Kansas State University, and Galen Erickson, Ph.D., an animal science professor at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, were honored earlier this month for their professional achievements by the American Feed Industry Association and American Society of Animal Science (ASAS).

Justin Bundy, Ph.D, of Bill Barr & Company, on behalf of AFIA, awarded Tokach the Non-ruminant Animal Nutrition Award during the ASAS-American Dairy Science Association Joint Annual Meeting in Orlando, Fla. Tokach focuses primarily on swine nutrition research and relaying his data to swine producers.

"With Mike's experience growing up on a livestock farm and his position with the Extension, he is able to connect on a first-hand basis with swine producers and help assess their various issues and find resolutions," said Richard Sellers, AFIA senior vice president of legislative and regulatory affairs.

More than $8 million in grants and gifts to Kansas State University have been generated to support swine nutrition efforts under the advisement of Tokach and his colleagues. In 2005, Tokach was named one of 50 people in the last 50 years who have had the greatest impact on the swine industry by National Hog Farmer. Tokach has co-authored more than 200 referred journal papers, 470 abstracts, 680 Extension publications and field day reports, and six book chapters.

Tokach earned his bachelor's degree in animal science at North Dakota State University, master's degree in swine nutrition at Kansas State University and doctorate in swine nutrition at the University of Minnesota.

Cathy Bandyk, Ph.D, of Westway Feed Products, on behalf of AFIA, awarded Erickson the Ruminant Animal Nutrition Award during the ASAS-ADSA Joint Annual Meeting. Erickson is a professor for the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, teaching for more than a decade in the areas of beef feedlots and the Nebraska cattle industry.

"Thus far, he has garnered more than $6 million in grants to support his research efforts in ruminant nutrition," said Sellers.

Among other achievements, Erickson was awarded the ASAS Early Career Achievement Award in 2009, and has had more than 90 journal articles published, 276 extension reports, 269 meeting abstracts and five book chapters.

Erickson earned his Bachelor of Science degree at Iowa State University-Ames, and Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy degrees at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

The awards are sponsored by AFIA as part of its continuing awards program that dates back to 1948. The ruminant and non-ruminant awards were an addition to the overall awards program in 1998.