Growing up on a family livestock operation near Follett, TX, Bob Albin developed an early love for animal production. He enrolled at Texas Technological College in the fall of 1957, earning a BS in Agricultural Sciences (1961). He remained in Lubbock, completing his MS in Animal Science (1962). He entered the doctoral program at the University of Nebraska, receiving his PhD in Nutrition (1965).

Dr. Albin returned to the Animal Science Department in Lubbock, leading to a distinguished 42-year career at Texas Tech University as teacher, researcher, administrator and internationally recognized feedlot management specialist. He was named Outstanding Teacher in the Davis College of Agricultural Sciences & Natural Resources in 1973 and fall semester 1974 and received several Teacher of the Month Awards. He was named Outstanding Educator in America in 1972 and received an Outstanding Young Men of America Awards in 1973. He was the recipient of an AMOCO Distinguished Teaching Award in 1974.

Dr. Albin’s illustrious administrative career included serving as Department Chair (1977-1979) and culminated as Associate Dean and Director, College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources (1997-2002). For his contributions, he was honored as Fellow (Administrative Category) in 2012 by the American Society of Animal Science. Retiring from the Dean’s office in 2002, he returned to the Department of Animal and Food Sciences to teach and assist farm operations.

He co-authored the book published in 1990, “Cattle Feeding: A Guide to Management”, a key cross-reference used worldwide. Dr. Albin travelled the globe providing expertise in a variety of programs, including evaluating the U.S. Peace Corps’ beef cattle program in Peru; serving as a feedlot management consultant to private industry in Monterrey, Mexico; conducting a feasibility study on ranching/mixed agriculture programs in Niger, Africa; and evaluating small-ruminant collaborative research support programs in Peru and Kenya.

Even though he spent the majority of his career as an administrator, Dr. Albin had a passion for teaching. His legacy is reflected in the Bob Albin Graduate Student Research Award, bestowed annually in his honor for exemplary research presentation. Further, he and wife Donna established the Robert C. and Donna J. Albin Scholarship Endowment to provide scholarships for majors in the Department. His relationship with former students continues to this day.

Dr. Albin played a pivotal role in the formation and early leadership of the Plains Nutrition Council. He is a Certified Animal Scientist in the American Registry of Professional Animal Scientists, and a Charter Diplomat with the American College of Animal Nutrition.

Dr. Albin retired from the Department in 2008. Reflecting on 40+ years of experience, his advice for a solid career is to work hard, tell the truth, and stand by your word. In 2009 he was honored by CASNR with the Distinguished Alumni Award.
Bob and Donna, his wife of 61 years, reside in Lubbock, enjoying retirement at Raider Ranch and spending time with their children, Sydney Dean and husband Sonny of Crawford, TX, Craig Albin and wife Jeannette of Clovis, NM. They treasure special times with their grandchildren.

Dr. Michael (Mike) Hubbert has been involved in ruminant nutrition his entire life having been born on the Squaw Butte Experiment Station in Eastern Oregon where his father, Farris Hubbert, Jr., was for many years a Livestock Research Scientist. Farris Hubbert later served on the Animal Sciences faculty at the University of Arizona. Mike followed in his father’s footsteps and during his 35-year (and counting) career has made numerous innovative contributions, which have found application in the commercial cattle feeding industry.

Mike earned his BS in Agriculture from the University of Arizona, then spent time on the professional rodeo circuit before starting graduate school at New Mexico State University, where he was Dr. Michael Galyean’s first graduate student. Upon completion of his master’s degree Mike went to the University of Wyoming to manage a federally funded project evaluating grazing interactions between cattle and feral horses. He then continued his graduate studies at the University of Alaska where he earned his PhD in ruminant biology studying energetics and nutritional physiology of moose and other wild ungulates. Dr. Hubbert returned to New Mexico State for a post-doctorate with Dr. Glen Lofgreen, where he was instrumental in the conceptual development and initial conduct of research to evaluate the efficacy and implementation of ionophore rotation programs.

Throughout his career as a feedlot consultant and technical services nutritionist, Dr. Hubbert has touched nearly every facet of the cattle feeding industry. As founder of Hubbert Biological Systems Mike consulted for a diverse cliental ranging both in feedlot size and geographic location. He used his observations and knowledge of feeding behavior in wild ruminants in refining innovations in feeding management of cattle, helping to facilitate development of “clean bunk” and “two-ration” systems for feeding cattle.

Later in his career Dr. Hubbert was Professor, and Superintendent of the New Mexico State University Clayton Livestock Research Center, where he brought his extensive knowledge and experience of cattle nutrition, feedlot management and operations to provide a unique educational and training experience to many graduate students.

Reflecting his commitment to both students and the industry, Dr. Hubbert was a driver in establishing the Feedlot Nutritionist Boot Camp, an event for select graduate students, that has been held every other year since 2012. Dr. Hubbert has over 60 published professional papers, abstracts, and conference proceedings, has co-written several invited papers, been an invited speaker at national and international conferences, and is the co-inventor and holder of 12 US Patents related to cattle feeding. He is Board Certified in Animal Nutrition (ACAS/ARPAS) and received the WSASAS Distinguished Service Award in 2015. Dr. Hubbert’s accomplishments throughout his career reflect his commitment to advancing knowledge through sound research and applying that knowledge for the benefit of cattle and the people who care for them.

Dr. Hubbert currently resides in Ft, Collins, CO with his wife, Zeno, and their daughter, HannahRose and is a nutritionist with Cargill Animal Nutrition. A person of many outside interests and talents, Mike has at various times become interested in and become proficient at golf, fly fishing, 3-gun competition and cycling.

Dr. David Paul Hutcheson grew up on a dairy farm in Hill County TX. He received a B.S. degree in Animal Science from Texas A&M University in 1963 and his MS in Animal Husbandry (1967) and PhD in Nutrition (1970) from the University of Missouri under the leadership of Dr. Rodney Preston. His graduate research included early studies with growth promoting implants (diethylstilbesterol) and body composition of beef cattle.

Hutch began his career as an Assistant/Associate Professor of Biostatistics and Nutrition at the Sinclair Comparative Medicine Research Farm at the Univ. of Mo. from 1969 to 1977 where he worked with a variety of mammalian species and even collaborated on studies of the nutrient requirements of astronauts with NASA. Much of his work at Sinclair revolved around developing animal models for human disease. He helped develop an alcoholism model to better study rehab of alcohol withdrawal during delirium tremors (DT) and helped develop a model using heavy metal markers to determine the digestibility of nutrients by astronauts during the Apollo Space Program.

In 1977, Hutch moved to Amarillo, TX to take an appointment as an Associate Professor for the Texas A&M Agricultural Experiment Station as a Research Beef Cattle Nutritionist. In 1980 he was promoted to Full Professor. At Amarillo, Hutch’s team research focused on the nutrient requirements of beef calves stressed through the marketing system and on strategies to decrease the incidence and severity of bovine respiratory disease. This research played a major role in establishing the effects of stress on nutrient requirements and the adding of a new chapter (which Hutch wrote as a member of the committee) on stress in the 1996 NRC Nutrient Requirements of Beef Cattle. The research was recognized as one of the top-10 contributions to beef cattle production in the 1980’s by Feedstuffs Magazine. Today much of the cattle feeding industry relies on the research results produced by that team.

While at Univ. of Missouri and Texas A&M AgriLife, Hutch was instrumental in the training of numerous graduate students that themselves have become leaders in the industry.

In 1992, Dr. Hutcheson founded Animal-Agricultural Consulting International He has consulted on ruminant nutritional management of beef and dairy cattle, sheep, and goats in the US and 17 foreign countries. His specialty has been developing sustainable and competitive integrated production systems for dairy-beef value chains. Hutch has shared his expertise in both academia and as a nutritional consultant for over 50 years (although he still claims he is only 39 years old). Hutch currently serves on the Research Committees of both the Texas Cattle Feeders Association and National Cattlemen’s Beef Association. In honor of his contributions, many of Hutch’s friends and colleagues established the Hutcheson Endowed Scholarship in the Dept of Animal Science at Texas A&M University, providing scholarships to deserving students.

Hutch currently lives in Van, Texas where he enjoys fishing and continues consulting in the USA with limited international projects. He is the proud father of two grown children, John and Sherry, and 3 grandchildren.

Lowell Schake was born on his family farm near Marthasville, MO, attended one-room Cedar Grove School (he and one other in the first two grades) followed by Marthasville Grade School. After graduating from nearby Washington High School, he enrolled at the University of Missouri-Columbia, where he earned a BS Degree in Agriculture (1960) and an MS Degree in Animal Husbandry (1962). He then attended Texas A&M University-College Station, earning a PhD in Animal Nutrition (1967). In 1959 Lowell married Wendy Walkinshaw, a Michigan native and member of TAMU’s first class of women.

Dr. Schake had a long and prolific career in extension, research, teaching and administration. While serving the cattle feeding industry as TAMU Area Livestock Specialist in Lubbock (1967-69), he also held Graduate Faculty and Experiment Station Research appointments, the first position of its kind in the U.S. In this role he taught graduate Beef Cattle Production courses and published research conducted at two commercial feedlots to evaluate grain-sorghum processing methods.

After returning to TAMU campus in College Station, Dr. Schake advanced from Assistant to Full Professor in Animal Science (1969-84). He established the Master of Agriculture Degree program (professional MBA concept) emphasizing internships in feedlots, on ranches or other allied industries. Instead of a thesis, Degree candidates were required to author problem-solving professional papers addressing current industry issues. The MAg degree soon became a model for similar endeavors at other universities. Dr. Schake chaired over 80 MAg, MS and PhD students from across the U.S. and abroad.

He also developed today’s Domestic Animal Behavior curriculum for undergraduate and graduate students while continuing his primary research focus on feed-energy utilization as affected by harvesting, processing and storage techniques.

Later, while Chair of the Animal Science Department at the University of Connecticut (1984-1992), Dr. Schake established the New England Biotechnology Conference with allied industry co-sponsors and served as President of the NE Section of ASAS Department Heads and Chairs. He concluded his administrative leadership serving as Chairman of the Animal Science Department at Texas Tech University (1992-1995). In addition to his exemplary career in roles at several universities, Dr. Schake consulted with the U.S. government and with commercial entities in the U.S. and internationally.

Schake is among those credited as instrumental in the formation and early growth of the Plains Nutrition Council, acknowledged as a leader of the endeavor. He documented that evolution in the proceedings of the 2004 PNC Spring Conference. He authored or co-authored more than 350 publications in an academic career spanning 30+ years. His innovative leadership contributions were further recognized as the recipient of the Texas A&M Innovative Teaching Award (1978),

In 1995 Lowell and Wendy retired to the Texas coast, residing first on North Padre, now at Port Aransas on Mustang Island. There they enjoy the amenities of beach living, chronicling the history of their Schake and Walkinshaw ancestors, and most importantly being with the families of daughter Dr. Sheryl Schake-Meskin and son Dr. Scott Schake, a Plains Nutrition Council member.

Dr. Zinn a native of El Centro, California, received his B.S. (1974) and M.S. (1975) degrees in Animal Science from Brigham Young University. His Ph.D. in Nutrition from University of Kentucky (1978) with postdoctoral studies at Oklahoma State University. In 1981, Dr. Zinn joined the Animal Science Department U.C. Davis. Dr. Zinn is stationed at the university’s Desert Research and Extension Center, in the Imperial Valley of California.

Dr. Zinn’s research in beef cattle energetics yielded more accurate equations predicting mature weight and growth performance of feedlot cattle. His widely cited approach for determining the net energy value of feeds based on growth performance has yielded valuable, practical information on a wide variety of feedstuffs.

His research has established metabolizable amino acid requirements during the early growing phase (first 56 to 112 d on feed) of feedlot cattle. This work resulted in a stand-alone empirical assessment of requirements.

His work with grain processing and starch utilization is recognized world-wide, leading to important changes in feeding standards. His research has led to a greater understanding of feeding value of dietary fat. The greater fat NE values have also resulted in the establishment of constraints on the upper levels of supplementation. Dr Zinn’s research also focuses on optimizing growth performance of calf-fed Holsteins. In addition to requirements for macro minerals, his studies characterize the growth curve, energetics, and carcass characteristics as affected by growth implants, forage NDF, and environmental stressors during periods of high ambient temperatures.

World-wide, Dr Zinn has compiled and analyzed large datasets at the commercial feedlot level to help optimize growth performance, health and profitability, to better understand the intricacies of how certain technologies may respond in various feedlot nutritional programs and to access research outcomes.

Dr. Zinn recognized early in his career, diverse demographic of feedlot personnel. To maximize his ability to effectively communicate with all, Dr. Zinn became proficient in the Spanish language. He is a visiting professor in Mexico and his class presentations are presented in Spanish.
Dr Zinn has been active throughout his career in PNC. He or his graduate student(s) have presented research findings and given University Updates at our meetings. A few of his honors and awards include;
• Merito Academico 1996, Research. Given by Universidad Autonoma de Baja California
• Catedratico Patrimonial. 1999 (National Endowment Scholar. Given by CONACYT, Mexico City, Mexico
• AFIA Ruminant Nutrition Research Award. 2000. Given by ASAS, July, 2000. Baltimore, MD

He has been a reviewer, and editor in chief of science-based journals. He has been on the committees of 30 plus graduate students to date. Dr. Zinn is respected as a friend and mentor to many consulting Nutritionists.

Dr. Zinn is devoted to his faith and serves his church and its mission with the same drive, integrity and service that have helped his great success in agriculture.

Guiding philosophy: When we think we know, learning stops dead in its tracks.