Four faculty members were hired at UW-Madison and UW-River Falls with funding from the Dairy Innovation Hub. These new scientists will support work in the Hub’s four priority areas: stewarding land and water resources, enriching human health and nutrition, ensuring animal health and welfare, and growing farm businesses and communities.
The Dairy Innovation Hub, funded through a $7.8 million per year investment by the state of Wisconsin, harnesses research and development across three UW campuses: Madison, Platteville, and River Falls. The goal is to ensure Wisconsin’s $52.8 billion dairy community remains a global pacesetter in producing nutritious dairy products. This is all accomplished with a keen focus on economic, environmental, and social sustainability.
Four new faculty members join 14 already in place from previous rounds of hiring. All Hub-funded faculty collaborate and leverage the unique resources across the three campuses.
UW-Madison
Yun Jiang
Jiang, Department of Animal and Dairy Science, is an assistant professor with a focus on dairy nutrition. Her research aims to develop nutritional strategies that enhance ruminal fermentation and feed efficiency, while also reducing environmental impacts like methane emissions. Additionally, she works on improving feed quality and safety in the dairy industry. Jiang’s appointment began in August of 2024.
Jiang views dairy cattle as a key solution for feeding a growing population with limited resources.
“I developed an interest in dairy nutrition in college when I gained an understanding of how dairy cows can convert human-inedible feed – such as grass and agricultural byproducts like rice straw – into milk,” she says.
Gregg Sanford
Sanford, Department of Soil and Environmental Sciences, is an assistant professor with a focus on soil carbon and cropping systems ecology. He has designed and implemented over 20 on-farm research trials and has more than a decade of experience with long-term, large-scale cropping experiments at the UW’s research stations. Sanford’s appointment began in August of 2024.
Sanford spent every summer on his family’s small dairy farm in Viola, Wisconsin. Agricultural systems and the impact of management on soil carbon sequestration and climate resilience are a key focus for Sanford.
“While working on farms in my early 20s, I learned about the interconnectedness of crops, soils, water, and climate,” he says. “I realized that agriculture had the potential to alleviate or exacerbate many of the problems facing society. I wanted to be part of the solution.”
Rebecca Smith
Smith, Department of Plant and Agroecosystems Sciences, is an assistant professor focusing on plant science for dairy sustainability. She is also a co-investigator in the Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center and a trainer in the agronomy, agroecology and plant breeding and plant genetics programs. The Smith lab focuses on how to genetically engineer the plant cell wall in forage and bioenergy crops to improve plant digestibility, animal nutrition, and dairy sustainability. Smith’s appointment began in August of 2024.
Smith is eager to further explore the cell wall and lignin to tackle various challenges associated with dairy sustainability.
“As part of the Dairy Innovation Hub, my lab will work to leverage the power of the cell wall to improve digestibility, reduce methane emissions, and increase carbon sequestration,” she says. “We aim to find strategies that will address farmers’ biggest challenges with the forage crops they grow.”
UW-River Falls
Md Azhar Uddin
Uddin, Department of Agricultural Economics, is an assistant professor. As part of this position, he conducts dairy-related research on topics such as agribusiness marketing, behavioral and experimental economics, health economics and other relevant topics. Uddin’s appointment began in August of 2024.
In addition to his research, Uddin teaches and advises students in ag business, marketing communications, and related programs.
“My research focuses on understanding Wisconsin dairy farm exit and expansion along with their impact on communities and businesses,” he says. “Additionally, I’m exploring opportunities to enhance UW–River Falls’ capacity to support dairy processors by establishing a choice and sensory lab.”
Uddin’s outreach efforts aim to translate research findings into practical strategies that enhance farm resilience, economic sustainability, and rural development.
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