Lincoln, Neb. —Dr. Mary Drewnoski is the recipient of the 2020 Midwest Section of the American Society of Animal Science Outstanding Young Extension Specialist Award. Drewnoski is an associate professor and beef systems specialist in the Animal Science Department at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. The award was presented to her this week during the annual 2020 Midwest section of the American Society of Animal Science meeting held in Omaha, Nebraska.
Drewnoski grew up in Appalachia, attended Berea College and North Carolina State followed by a three year post doctorate at Iowa State and two years on faculty at University of Idaho. She was hired by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 2014 as part of an interdisciplinary team focused on developing integrated crop and cattle production systems in Nebraska.
Her extension and research program is focused on the utilization of crop residues and cover crop forages for backgrounding calves and beef cows. She has been instrumental in developing a $4.8 million Nebraska Beef Systems Initiative and leads the extension component. Drewnoski has made 87 presentations at extension meetings and has authored or co-authored 31 extension articles and done 45 interviews over the past three years.
She instigated the development of an exchange for farmers with crop residues or cover crops to connect with cattlemen looking for grazing opportunities. Drewnoski has certainly achieved the goals envisioned as a Beef Systems Specialist.
The ASAS Outstanding Young Extension Specialist Award recognizes an individual currently employed as an extension specialist by a state or federal service and is engaged in outreach education conducting programs in animal or dairy science. This person actively works with people that produce livestock animals or with people in the meat industry and uses their connections to initiate and develop educational programs dedicated to increasing education in areas such as breeding, milk production, nutrition, management, physiology, and many other areas that promote the growth of the industry. This award is sponsored by Purina Animal Nutrition.