Kniesly, Nelson and Schwab Expand Vita Plus Dairy Team Expertise (September 2014)

Posted on September 11, 2014 in Company News
(Madison, Wis.) – With a commitment to bring the latest research and practical expertise to the farm, Vita Plus continues to build its dairy team to best serve customers throughout the Upper Midwest.  In their new roles, Dr. Andrew Kneisly, Donovan Nelson and Dr. Eric Schwab will work closely with Vita Plus consultants, dealer partners and dairy producers to help troubleshoot on-farm challenges, provide customized solutions, and offer the latest proven technologies and research.

Dr. Andrew Kniesly joins Vita Plus as a dairy specialist based in Ohio.  He will provide on-farm nutrition and management consulting to dairy producers throughout the state.  Working closely with his team and dealer partners, Kniesly will offer ration formulation expertise, conduct farm record analyses, and assist dairy producers in making the most economical decisions for their farms.  Kniesly grew up on a dairy farm in Dorset, Ohio and attended The Ohio State University.  He graduated from the OSU College of Veterinary Medicine in 2001 and joined a veterinary practice, focusing primarily on dairy.  Since 2004, he has worked as a dairy nutrition consultant with a particular interest in transition cow health, milk components and cow comfort.

Donovan Nelson joins Vita Plus as a formulation specialist.  His responsibilities include daily administration of custom mixes, formulation requests, and feed tagging needs of Vita Plus facilities and dealer customers.  He also assists with the coordinated management of ingredient approvals and helps the dairy team with Dairy Comp 305 records and other services to best meet their needs in the field.   Nelson grew up on a dairy farm in Edgerton, Wisconsin and earned his bachelor’s degree in dairy science from the University of Wisconsin-River Falls in May.  While there, he served as a captain of the UWRF Track and Field team and a member of the UWRF Dairy Club.  He also gained practical experience working on several dairy farms during college.

Dr. Eric Schwab was recently named director of dairy research and product management.  He joined Vita Plus in 2005 and previously worked as a dairy technical specialist in northwest Wisconsin.  In his new role, Schwab will serve as the leading authority on current dairy nutrition research and evaluate new products to meet customers’ needs.  He will also assist in the education of staff and dealer partners on various nutrition strategies and technologies.  Schwab received bachelor’s degrees in dairy management and environmental and resource economics from the University of New Hampshire-Durham.  He earned a master’s degree from UW-Madison, focusing his research on kernel processing and chop length in BMR corn silage.  His Ph.D. dissertation at UW-Madison focused on B-vitamin nutrition and ruminal B-vitamin synthesis in lactating dairy cows.

Vita Plus Corporation is an employee-owned company headquartered in Madison, Wis. Vita Plus has been serving livestock producers since 1948. More than just a feed supplier, Vita Plus consultants offer the latest cutting-edge technology, nutrition and management information. For more information about the organization, call 1-800-362-8334 or go online at www.vitaplus.com.

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