Montana State professors receive regional awards from American Society of Animal Science

BOZEMAN - Two faculty members from the Department of Animal and Range Sciences in Montana State University's College of Agriculture have been selected as the recipients of regional awards from the western section of the American Society of Animal Science.

Amanda Bradbery received the western section's 2024 Young Scientist Award, which recognizes researchers under age 40 for their contributions to improving efficiency or quality in livestock production or utilization. Bradbery is an assistant professor who focuses on equine nutrition and physiology. She joined MSU in 2020 after receiving her doctorate in animal science and conducting postdoctoral research at Texas A&M University.

While much of Bradbery's research broadly covers the nutrition component of equine science, a large amount of her work centers on optimizing the growth and development of young performance horses through nutrition management to prepare them to be elite performance horse athletes. She said her interest in equine research began as an undergraduate at Virginia Tech and developed further during her master's and doctoral programs in animal science at Texas A&M.

Beyond research, Bradbery is committed to education and mentorship as a professor.

"I'm passionate about educating students in the field of agriculture, watching them find their passion and helping guide that next generation of professionals in the agriculture industry," Bradbery said.

Timothy DelCurto received the western section's 2024 Distinguished Teacher Award, which recognizes educators for their contributions to education and service to agriculture.

DelCurto is a professor and Nancy Cameron Endowed Chair in Range Beef Cattle Nutrition and Management Research for Montana. He has worked in academia for more than 34 years and has taught in MSU's College of Agriculture since 2016. Before MSU, DelCurto managed the University of Eastern Oregon's Research Center at Union Station for 23 years as a researcher and teacher.

DelCurto's background in applied beef cattle production systems, alternative winter management and ecologically sustainable rangeland beef cattle management ties into his teaching philosophy and course content for both undergraduate and graduate students, as well as in his research efforts as the Nancy Cameron Endowed Chair.

DelCurto also works to connect students with the agriculture industry beyond the classroom.

"What I try to do from a teaching perspective is bring the industry into the classroom," said DelCurto. "Industry leaders meet the students and talk about [industry] challenges and opportunities, which creates collaboration and networking opportunities that the students really enjoy."

Bradbery and DelCurto will be celebrated during the 2024 ASAS Western section meeting in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, in late July.