Gail Carpenter will begin a new role on July 1 as assistant professor in dairy extension and outreach in the Department of Animal Science. Carpenter brings a high-energy approach to the position with a unique combination of practical production experience and enthusiasm for helping others through research, teaching and outreach in applied dairy cattle nutrition and management.
Carpenter has been with Iowa State since 2021 as an assistant teaching professor in the Department of Animal Science and worked in various capacities in the dairy industry prior to that. She brings extensive industry experience to Iowa State. Most recently she was a dairy nutritionist for CSA Animal Nutrition, and before that Carpenter was an assistant professor at the University of Guelph, Ridgetown Campus in the Department of Animal Biosciences.
John Lawrence, animal science interim department chair said, “Gail brings a passion for the dairy sector, a proven record as an educator and researcher and a problem solver mindset to the position. We are excited to have her join the ISU Extension and Outreach Dairy Team.”
Carpenter also served as the interim manager of the Iowa State Dairy Farm in 2021 and filled a gap in leadership during critical times such as silage harvest. She also helped implement a new program, DairyCY, where the students manage the Jersey herd at the farm.
“I’m thrilled to be moving into a position that gives me the opportunity to travel the state and work directly with Iowa’s dairy industry,” Carpenter said. “I’m already working with our members of the dairy extension team on upcoming programming related to nutrition and feed management on dairy farms, which will roll out in the coming weeks.”
Carpenter will continue teaching ANS 435 – Applied Dairy Farm Evaluation, coaching the Dairy Challenge Team and working with the DairyCY students. The Department of Animal Science is excited to have Carpenter continue to provide an incredible training environment for our students, as well as educating dairy producers across the state through extension and outreach activities.