Click the subscribe button to sign up for any of our online resources.
Meet Our Authors – Dairy Goat Performance Blog
Sarah Varney (Adamson) grew up on her family’s commercial dairy goat farm in southern Wisconsin. She attended the University of Wisconsin-Platteville and received her bachelor’s degree in animal science, with an emphasis on dairy science. Varney spent time as a manager on an 8,000-head dairy goat farm before joining Vita Plus in 2018. As the Vita Plus dairy goat specialist, Adamson is responsible for product development for the entire dairy goat program as well as technical support for field staff in the Vita Plus market area.is a Vita Plus dairy goat specialist in central Wisconsin. Read Adamson's most recent article.
Jon Urness is a retired Vita Plus national forage specialist. He grew up on his family’s five-generation homestead dairy near Black Earth, Wisconsin, and still lives there today. He graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1977 with a bachelor’s degree in agricultural journalism. As Vita Plus employee owner, Urness provided on-farm dairy nutrition consulting in southwest Wisconsin, as well as forage marketing responsibilities outside of the traditional Vita Plus market. Read Urness's most recent article.
Dr. David Carlson is a Vita Plus dairy nutritionist and technical services specialist. He was raised on a small dairy farm in North Dakota and attended North Dakota State University (NDSU) to earn a bachelor’s degree in animal sciences and a master’s degree in ruminant nutrition. He received his Ph.D. in dairy nutrition from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where his research focused on transition dairy cow nutrition. He was postdoctoral research fellow at NDSU before working with a milk replacer manufacturer and an animal health company. At Vita Plus, Carlson provides technical support for field staff, dealers, and customers in southern Wisconsin, northern Illinois, and eastern Iowa. He also leads Vita Plus dairy nutrition and management training initiatives. Read Carlson's most recent article.
Dr. Noah Litherland is the Vita Plus dairy technical specialist. He grew up on a diversified livestock farm in central Illinois and was active in 4-H and FFA as a youth. He earned his bachelor’s, master’s and Ph.D. from the University of Illinois, focusing on dairy cattle nutritional physiology. He worked as a dairy extension specialist at Oklahoma State University from 2006 to 2008 and then as a dairy nutritionist at the University of Minnesota until 2014. At Minnesota, Litherland served as the faculty supervisor of dairy research on the St. Paul campus. Read Litherland's most recent article.
Steve Murty joined the Vita Plus team in 2018 as a forage product specialist. He attended Iowa State University to earn a degree in animal science with a minor in agricultural systems technology. He previously managed the grain, agronomy, seed and retail departments at a local cooperative before transitioning to a sales role with a seed dealer. Murty is also a certified crop advisor (CCA) with a passion to work with farmers and help them meet their forage production goals. Living in Iowa, Murty is a local 4-H club leader, a member of the Tama County Cattlemen, and an active member of his local church. Read Murty's most recent article.