By Robby Edwards
Director of Communications
Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Beth Kegley, professor of animal science for the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station, has been named recipient of the 2023 Southern Section Animal Science Distinguished Service Award by the American Society of Animal Science.
She will be presented the award at meetings in Raleigh, North Carolina, later this month.
SERVICE — Beth Kegley was named the 2023 Southern Section Animal Science Distinguished Service Award winner by the American Society of Animal Science.
Kegley conducts research for the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station, the research arm of the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture. She also teaches animal science courses for the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences at the University of Arkansas.
“An important part of any faculty's position is service to the department, the Division of Agriculture, the college and the profession,” said Mike Looper, head of the department of animal science. “Dr. Kegley excels in all of these areas. She stays busy providing valuable service to our students, stakeholders and our professional society. This is great recognition and a well-deserved award for Dr. Kegley.”
Kegley received her bachelor’s degree in animal science from Virginia Tech in 1986, her master’s in 1989 and her Ph.D. in 1996, both from North Carolina State University. Kegley joined the faculty of the University of Arkansas System in 1996 and was promoted to professor in 2007.
Her research focus is the impact of nutrition on the immune response, disease resistance and growth performance of beef cattle.
Kegley, who grew up on a dairy, beef and sheep farm in Virginia, teaches the graduate level Ruminant Nutrition, Energetics and Mineral Metabolism courses. She supervises the Stocker and Receiving Cattle Research Facility and the shared departmental nutrition lab.
She has served as an officer in the Southern Section of the American Society of Animal Science from 2005-09 and as national ASAS president in 2019-20.
ASAS fosters the discovery, sharing and application of scientific knowledge concerning the care and responsible use of animals to enhance animal and human health and well-being. The core principles of ASAS are: animals are essential to human life and well-being; the care and use of animals are held to the highest standards of integrity and professional ethics; research and scientific information are communicated in an open, transparent and dynamic manner; career development for animal scientists, educators and producers is essential to the viability of the allied and animal industries; and animal science and the production of animal-sourced foods must continually evolve to meet the needs and values of society.
To learn more about Division of Agriculture research, visit the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station website: https://aaes.uada.edu. Follow on Twitter at @ArkAgResearch. To learn more about the Division of Agriculture, visit https://uada.edu/. Follow us on Twitter at @AgInArk. To learn about extension programs in Arkansas, contact your local Cooperative Extension Service agent or visit www.uaex.uada.edu.