Weeks before my high school graduation, my biology and chemistry teachers encouraged me to apply for a summer laboratory job on the University of Wisconsin – Madison campus. I applied, interviewed and was hired by Larry Satter, an expert in dairy nutrition at the university and the U.S. Dairy Forage Research Center (DFRC). He served as the center’s director from 1987 until 1998.
That summer marked the start of a journey that I hadn’t fully imagined. In the fall, I planned to start classes, majoring in dairy science – eager to learn but unsure of where the path might lead. What I found at the DFRC was more than technical training – it was a first snapshot of the crossroads of science, agriculture and storytelling that would shape my career for decades. Satter was also my academic adviser.
Recently, I toured the DFRC with the center’s director, Dennis Hancock, and the University of Wisconsin's new alfalfa outreach specialist, Luana Dantas Queiroz. The tour offered more than facility updates – it revisited mentorships, early laboratory contributions and the impact of forage science. The photo tour can be viewed here.
It was during that summer that I learned standard proximate analyses, including crude protein via the Kjeldahl method, crude fat, ash/organic matter, neutral detergent fiber (NDF) and acid detergent fiber (ADF). Rumen digestion was assessed using Dacron bag incubation and rumen fluid sampling for pH and volatile fatty acids (VFA), utilizing rumen-cannulated cows. Total tract digestibility was evaluated through digestibility markers and fecal sampling analyses.
When laboratory staff learned of my sewing abilities, I was tasked with sewing Dacron bags, which included cutting, sewing and trimming – and paid 1 or 2 cents per bag. Though exact totals were not recorded, estimated output likely reached several thousand bags and contributed to my college tuition.
I was also responsible for producing rumen cannulas used in fistulated cattle at the adjacent Dairy Cattle Center. The cannulas – designed to provide direct access to the rumen for research and sampling – were cast using polyurethane plastic poured into molds and then cured following exact protocols. Now, I liken the process to my brother’s Creepy Crawler Thingmaker – a set of metal molds filled with “goop” that you could cook your own creepy frogs, bugs and snakes.
It was also the summer I met someone who would become a lifelong friend – a sister. I was a morning person even then, driving into campus early so I could be home for afternoon chores. Another student in the laboratory encouraged me to take lunch breaks on the back stairway, and she even provided apples and cheese. That simple ritual became the foundation of a lifelong friendship. An animal science major, she went back for an agricultural journalism degree and went on to become the managing editor of Quarterly, a publication of the Wisconsin Medical Alumni Association and the University of Wisconsin (UW) School of Medicine and Public Health – similar to the editorial path I’ve followed in agriculture. Our friendship, started with a shared science curiosity and stairway lunches, has mirrored our careers: grounded in science, making connections that have been shared with the stories of people.
In the September issue, I wrote about Limin Kung Jr. and Richard Muck and the significant impact they have had on the silage industry. The DFRC is where I first worked with both researchers. Limin was a post-doctorate student in Dr. Satter’s laboratory, and he kindly acknowledged my research contributions in several of his research articles including "Microbial inoculation of low moisture alfalfa silage" (1987) and "Ammonia-treated alfalfa silage for lactating dairy cows" (1989). Dr. Muck's laboratory was adjacent to the laboratory that I worked in.
Returning to the DFRC and walking those familiar hallways reminded me that translating the research isn’t just about clarity – it’s about connections. It's honoring the research while remembering the people it serves, bridging data and life experiences, while pursuing meaningful purpose.
