Purina Animal Nutrition announces the hiring of Anna Pesta, PhD, as an equine nutritionist on the technical services team.
“Anna has been a horse person throughout her life and is equally skilled across multiple disciplines in the horse industry,” said Karen Davison, PhD, equine technical service leader for Purina Animal Nutrition. “Her passion for horses and strong academic background will be a great asset to our team.”
Earning her PhD in ruminant nutrition from the University of Nebraska, Pesta’s research focused on nutritional strategies to reduce methane production in growing and finishing. In 2001 she received her master’s degree in ruminant nutrition from the University of Nebraska studying the use of byproduct feeds in high-fat finishing diets. She also holds a bachelor’s degree in animal science from Kansas State University.
While at the University of Nebraska, Pesta coached the horse judging team and taught junior and senior level courses on the principles of horse evaluation. She also assisted in producing training videos on horse safety for feedlot pen riders and presenting oral reasons for youth horse judging teams.
“I am looking forward to being part of such a strong team and using my knowledge of nutrition to directly impact the day-to-day lives of horse owners,” said Pesta. “Purina Animal Nutrition’s focus on research and using only proven ingredients in their feed formulations and recommendations to horse owners is what excites me.”
A state-of-the-art research facility allows Purina Animal Nutrition to continue to be the industry leader in equine nutrition. This 60-acre facility is the only one of its kind in the industry and research specific to equine nutrition has been conducted for more than 87 years.
Originally from North Carolina, Pesta grew up showing and judging horses and livestock through her local 4-H club. She continued judging during college, joining the Kansas State University judging team and coaching the team at the University of Nebraska during her PhD. studies. Pesta also has experience as a three-day event competitor as well as riding and judging western discipline shows.
For more information, call 800-227-8941 or go to www.purinamills.com/horse-feed.
Purina Animal Nutrition LLC (www.purinamills.com) is a national organization serving producers, animal owners and their families through more than 4,700 local cooperatives, independent dealers and other large retailers throughout the United States. Driven to unlock the greatest potential in every animal, the company is an industry-leading innovator offering a valued portfolio of complete feeds, supplements, premixes, ingredients and specialty technologies for the livestock and lifestyle animal markets. Purina Animal Nutrition LLC is headquartered in Shoreview, Minn. and a wholly owned subsidiary of Land O’Lakes, Inc.
