The University of Wyoming Extension welcomes Rob Ziegler as the new livestock production and marketing extension specialist with the Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics.

Ziegler earned his bachelor’s degree in animal and veterinary sciences from UW in 2018 while working as a laboratory technician for the Wyoming State Veterinary Laboratory. He went on to earn a master’s degree in ruminant nutrition from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 2020. His master’s thesis focused on cow size and optimizing resources in range production environments.

After graduating, Ziegler worked as a customer technical communication specialist for Telus Agriculture in Alberta, Canada, where he helped producers make informed decisions about livestock using animal performance data.

“We’re so excited to have Rob join us to help serve the needs of livestock producers across the state,” says Ben Rashford, head of the Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics. “His extensive background in livestock production and animal science, combined with his hands-on experience in the supply chain, is going to bring a wealth of knowledge to Wyoming.”

Ziegler’s combination of professional and academic experience have prepared him well to engage with educators and producers across the state. He looks forward to supporting UW Extension county educators’ programming and learning about Wyoming producers’ needs.

“I was anxious to get immersed back in the cow-calf sector, since that’s where most of my formal training is,” says Ziegler. “What excites me the most is supporting the land-grant [university] mission and making a positive impact on the livestock producers around the state.”

Ziegler joined UW Extension last month. He can be contacted at rziegle3@uwyo.edu or (307) 766-3719.