BOZEMAN – Patrick Hatfield, professor of animal science at Montana State University, has been named head of the Department of Animal and Range Sciences in the MSU College of Agriculture and Montana Agricultural Experiment Station. Animal and range sciences is the largest department in the College of Agriculture. Hatfield assumes the position today.
Since 1996, Hatfield has served as a member of the faculty in MSU Department of Animal and Range Sciences. During the 2013-2014 academic year, he also served as interim head of the department.
[EasyDNNGallery|2182|Width|350|Height|350|position|left|resizecrop|False|lightbox|False|title|False|description|True|redirection|False|LinkText||]Hatfield has a long association with MSU: He received a bachelor’s degree from MSU in range sciences before going on to earn a master’s degree from New Mexico State University in range sciences and a doctorate in animal science from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Hatfield also served as a U.S. Peace Corps volunteer in agriculture in the Philippines and as a research scientist at the U.S. Sheep Experiment Station near Dubois, Idaho.
Hatfield’s research is largely focused on the nutritional management of sheep and incorporating livestock into sustainable crop production for insect and pest control and residue management. He has published numerous scholarly articles on animal and range sciences topics.
In 2011, Hatfield received a $743,000 grant from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture to help organic producers and processors grow and market high-quality organic agricultural products. The long-term goal of the project is to incorporate sheep into farming systems in a profitable and environmentally sustainable manner. Hatfield has received more than $8 million in competitive research funds and grants. In 2013, he received the Distinguished Service Award from the Western Section American Society of Animal Science.
Hatfield is a native of Billings.
Source: MSU News Service
