The UKY Forage Team wishes to dedicate the 2023 Kentucky Grazing Schools to Dr. Donna Amaral-Phillips, who has recently retired after a long and award-winning program in UKY dairy extension.

Donna is a co-founder of the Kentucky Grazing Schools, and has been an integral part of every session since 1996. Her talk on ‘Meeting Nutritional Needs on Pasture’ has been a staple of the program since its inception. She has good-naturedly endured the kidding of faculty like Jimmy Henning over her demonstration about how goats eat compared to cattle.

Throughout her career, Donna’s goal has been to educate dairy farmers, industry personnel, veterinarians and Cooperative Extension agents on the fundamentals of dairy nutrition and management. Her extension education program centered on applying sound, science-based nutrition recommendations for replacements and lactating dairy cows. She often uses hands-on demonstrations and facilitates farmer-led discussion groups. She was the project leader for DAIReXNET, a national extension-driven dairy web resource, which provided dairy-related audiences with science-based, peer-reviewed materials and educational opportunities.

Her program has been recognized in many ways, including the Southern ADSA Honor Award and the UK Whitaker Award for Excellence in Extension. In 2020 she was awarded the prestigious DeLaval Dairy Extension Award by the American Dairy Science Association to recognize outstanding achievements in dairy extension.

The UKY Forage Team wants to thank Donna for her faithful and innovative leadership to the Kentucky Grazing School by dedicating this year’s grazing schools to her. ~ Jimmy Henning