Dr. Randy Shaver

Professor Emeritus Randy Shaver was born and raised on a western Pennsylvania dairy farm. After completing a B.S. degree in Dairy Science at the Pennsylvania State University, Randy received an M.S. degree from the Department of Animal Sciences at the University of Maryland. He then completed his Ph.D. degree in Dairy Science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1986 after conducting research at UW-Madison and the U.S. Dairy Forage Research Center. Randy spent 1986-88 working in industry. Since then until 2019, Randy was on the faculty in the Department of Dairy Science, University of Wisconsin-Madison with a 75% Extension and 25% Research appointment. 

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Randy's extension and research programs focused on applied nutrition of lactating dairy cattle. He advised or co-advised over 30 masters or doctoral students at UW Madison. Randy authored or co-authored over 100 peer-review journal publications, 200 scientific abstracts, over 100 popular-press articles in industry trade magazines, and several hundred newsletter articles, extension handouts or bulletins, and internet publications. He presented over 700 invited papers at industry conferences in 46 states. Additionally, he has been an invited speaker for dairy producer and feed industry audiences in Argentina, Brazil, Canada (9 provinces), Chile, China, Columbia, Czech Republic, Denmark, England, Germany, Italy, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Portugal, Spain and Turkey.

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Awards that Randy has received include: World Dairy Expo Industry Person of the Year, ADSA AFIA Dairy Nutrition Award, ADSA Pioneer Hi-Bred Forage Award, ADSA De Laval Dairy Extension Award, ADSA Nutrition Professionals Applied Dairy Nutrition Award, and UW-Madison CALS Pound Extension Excellence Award.