Zach Smith

Faculty Supervisor

Ruminant Nutrition Center

Zach Smith has served as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Animal Science and as the Faculty Supervisor of the Ruminant Nutrition Center (RNC) of the South Dakota Agricultural Experiment Station in Brookings, SD since July of 2018.

Smith earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Animal Production from Texas Tech University. He received a Master of Science Degree under the direction of Dr. Robbi Pritchard in Feedlot Nutrition and Management from South Dakota State University and a Doctor of Philosophy degree under the direction of Dr. Bradley Johnson in Feedlot Cattle Nutrition and Muscle Biology from Texas Tech University.

Zach has a 70/30 split of research and teaching at South Dakota State University.  Zach’s research program is focused on nutrition and management interventions that enhance growing and finishing beef cattle production. The Smith Lab has extensive experience in determining the feeding value of novel cereal grains and corn-milling (dry and wet) bio-refinery products fed to feedlot cattle.