U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins visits MSU Dairy Cattle Teaching and Research Center

Apr 20, 2026

By Kelly Kussmaul

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Brooke L. Rollins visited the Michigan State University (MSU) Dairy Cattle Teaching and Research Center on Monday, April 13, as part of a tour highlighting farming priorities in Michigan.

Sec. Rollins was joined by U.S. Congressman Tom Barrett, Michigan Sen. Roger Victory [Senate District 31], Michigan Rep. Jerry Neyer [House District 92] and Michigan Farm Bureau President Ben LaCross, along with other farmers and leaders in Michigan agriculture.

MSU President Kevin Guskiewicz, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources (CANR) Associate Provost Matt Daum and MSU Extension Director Quentin Tyler hosted the visit on behalf of MSU.

The event started with a group tour of MSU’s state-supported Dairy Cattle Teaching and Research Center led by Barry Bradford, C. E. Meadows Endowed Chair in Dairy Management and Nutrition and professor in the Department of Animal Science.

Source : msu.edu

Video: Assessing Welfare Resources During Late Finish - Dr. Anna Johnson & Emma Coursey

In this episode of The Swine Nutrition Blackbelt Podcast, Dr. Anna Johnson from Iowa State University and Emma Coursey from the University of Illinois discuss research evaluating welfare resources during the late finishing stage on commercial swine farms. They explain how feeder management, water use, space allocation, and pig health influence welfare outcomes and practical on-farm management. Listen now on all major platforms!

"Small resource issues can become larger welfare problems when multiple stressors interact across finishing barns."

Meet the guests: Dr. Anna Johnson / anna-johnson-05028a14 is the Morrill Professor of Animal Behavior and Welfare at Iowa State University. She earned her Ph.D. in Animal Sciences from Texas Tech University and completed her master's degree in Applied Animal Behaviour and Welfare at the University of Edinburgh. Her research focuses on practical solutions that improve farm animal welfare, including sow productive lifetime, animal-human interaction, environmental enrichment, and Precision Livestock Farming.

Emma Coursey / emma-coursey-183810241 is pursuing a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree at the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine after earning a bachelor's degree in Animal Science from Iowa State University. Her academic interests include swine health, production, and animal welfare, with research experience evaluating welfare resources in commercial finishing pigs.