Dr. Dulmelis Sandu began working with Alltech in March of 2017. Sandu received a master’s degree in avian medicine from the University of Georgia Poultry Diagnostic and Research Center in December 2016. She received a doctoral degree in veterinary medicine from St. George’s University in Grenada in 2015 and a master’s degree in science with a focus on poultry nutrition from Oregon State University in 2008. In August of 2017, she was awarded certification by the American College of Poultry Veterinarians, which specializes in poultry medicine, health and management. Sandu enjoys working with customers in the broiler, layer and turkey industry, where she continues to provide her expertise and technical support.

Dr. Kayla Price is very involved in the poultry industry. Price currently serves as the Canadian poultry technical and research manager for Alltech Canada. In this role, she provides technical and sales support, as well as research and regulatory responsibilities. Prior to joining Alltech, Price received a Ph.D. focused on coccidiosis in chickens from the University of Guelph. During her time at the university, she was the recipient of many prestigious awards.

While working at Alltech, Price has fostered her passion for poultry intestinal health and has broadened her background to cover all types of poultry production. She continues to share her knowledge of intestinal health and the management of birds in various scenarios within the poultry industry. 

Price has been invited to speak and present on many topics at various national and global conferences and has authored articles for internal use as well as external trade publications. Price also serves as an adjunct professor at the Ontario Agriculture College at the University of Guelph and has served as an advisory committee member for both master’s and doctoral students. She is also an active member of several industry committees. Price is a strong advocate for the poultry industry and strives to share this enthusiasm with others.

Dr. Kyle McKinney leads the Alltech Enzyme Management global platform, which focuses on feed efficiency. Animal performance is dependent on feed performance, and regardless of the diet, getting the most from the feed is vital for the overall success of an operation. A technology known as solid state fermentation (SSF) allows for the use of alternative raw materials, increasing nutrient availability, maintaining gastrointestinal integrity and reducing feed costs. The Enzyme Management platform drives enzyme technology to provide innovative solutions for producers. 

Previously, McKinney worked for three years in Costa Rica on a project focused on utilizing the Alltech Crop Science portfolio to control disease and reduce chemical applications. This project allowed the team in Costa Rica to establish a fermentation lab, where they can evaluate more sustainable microbial solutions for disease control.

McKinney also worked with the Alltech applications research program for more than a decade and was part of Alltech’s Farm of the Future project from 2007 to 2008. Additionally, he and his team designed Alltech True Check™, an in vitro digestion system developed to evaluate diets and the impacts of feed technology in monogastric animals.

McKinney received his bachelor’s degree in agricultural biotechnology from the University of Kentucky, his master’s degree in brewing and distilling fermentation technology from Heriot-Watt University in Scotland and his Ph.D. in agricultural biotechnology, which focused on the development of microbial fermentation systems to produce complex enzymes to improve monogastric feed and nutrition, from Harper Adams University.

Laurentia VanRensburg is the technical mineral manager at Alltech and has been active in the agriculture industry for more than 15 years. She has worked in South Africa as well as North and South America. Her expertise includes a focus on trace minerals and how they pertain to modern-day livestock production and performance.

Dr. Jim Rhoades received both a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in science from the University of Missouri and a doctoral degree from Clemson University. He has more than 30 years of experience in the poultry industry, assisting in the development, implementation and on-site monitoring of programs for feed mills and live-production facilities.

Rhoades is a hands-on nutritionist who develops feeding programs that encompass conventional, antibiotic-free, animal product-free and organic diets. He also works on-farm with broiler, turkey, layer and other poultry producers to improve their grow-out, production and flock management practices.

Dr. Lauren Nolan is a graduate of the University of Kentucky. Her master’s degree in animal science focused on ruminant nutrition, primarily in sheep and cattle. Her doctoral work explored poultry nutrition and studied the effect of Bioplex zinc on eggshell quality and bone integrity.

During her time at U.K., Nolan was able to work on-farm to learn the importance of nutrition in practical, day-to-day situations. She also became well-versed in eggshell ultrastructure and the different methodologies and technologies available for measuring eggshell quality and composition.

Mike Banks received both his bachelor’s degree and his master’s degree in science from Purdue University. During his time at Purdue, he worked with Dr. Todd Applegate and Dr. Layi Adeola. Banks’ research focused on dried distillers grains (DDGS) and their nutritional values in multiple poultry species, as well as strains within species. He has published and presented research abstracts at the American Society of Animal Science Association’s annual meeting and at the International Poultry Scientific Forum’s annual meeting. He is also a member of the Poultry Science Association.

Banks’ tenure in the poultry industry began when he joined Rose Acre Farms in 2012. In 2017, he took a position with Ridley Feed Ingredients as a poultry specialist, supporting the Ridley poultry team in North America and focusing on technical expertise in pullets and laying hens.

Adriana Nascimento holds both a master’s degree and a doctoral degree in science, with a focus on monogastric nutrition and production.

For the last five years, Nascimento has served as a technical manager for Alltech for Latin America. In this role, she helps clients with nutrition and feeding poultry, pigs and other species. She is also responsible for the formulation program, including the matrices and nutritional recommendations.

Nascimento has been active in the field of animal nutrition for 20 years and is always looking for ways to produce high-quality animal protein and nutrition at an affordable cost for producers. Nascimento worked with this goal in mind at companies such as Brasil Foods S.A (Perdigão), focusing on poultry nutrition, reducing feed and production costs and enhancing animal performance.

In her role at Ajinomoto Biolatina, Nascimento was responsible for increasing the amino acids market through research and development, leading workshops and meeting with clients in Brazil and Latin America. She also worked on the development of pet foods and premixes and feed for poultry at Agroceres Animal Nutrition.

Since joining Alltech in 2013, John Cooper has been working to improve poultry health and performance and, ultimately, business profitability for producers while also minimizing antibiotic use.

During a career spanning 24 years, Cooper has worked in many areas of the poultry sector, progressing from initial roles focused on rearing and breeding units to farm management and, eventually, to senior roles in hatchery, poultry chick sales and broilers.

Cooper utilizes his experience, knowledge and understanding of the industry in his current role as technical manager for Alltech UK and Ireland, working with the supply chain to deliver solutions to producers. Cooper’s focus in this position is the development and delivery of Alltech’s antibiotic reduction program, tackling antimicrobial resistance through advanced nutritional technologies that are proven to support gut health and immune status.

Additionally, Cooper has also played a key role in research and development, applying his extensive knowledge of the supply chain to help develop research angles and providing valuable support. As a result, he was named the British Poultry Awards Supply Chain Champion in 2018 by the BPC.

Bianca Martins received a master’s degree in animal nutrition and production from the University of São Paulo and has extensive experience working with animal nutrition and health companies in Brazil and Mexico. Martins currently serves as the country manager for Alltech Mexico.

Marquisha Paul is a post-doctoral research fellow in the research department at Alltech, where she focuses on applied poultry nutrition.

Since 2007, Paul has contributed to poultry nutrition research trials through the Alltech-University of Kentucky Nutrition Research Alliance, investigating such topics as bone quality, reproduction and gut health. She has a strong background in laboratory methods and data analysis.          

Paul received her bachelor’s degree in biology from Kentucky State University and both her master’s degree and doctoral degree in animal and food sciences from the University of Kentucky.

Stephen Collett is a poultry consultant for 4FC Consulting, LLC, and professor emeritus of population health in the College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Georgia.

After qualifying as a veterinarian, Collett spent 10 years in private practice before he began specializing in poultry. He received his master’s degree in veterinary medicine with a focus on poultry from the University of Pretoria, South Africa and was given diplomat status with the American College of Poultry Veterinarians. He gained many years of industry experience as head veterinarian for Rainbow Chicken Farms in South Africa and as director of the North American poultry division at Alltech before joining the University of Georgia Poultry Diagnostic and Research Center (PDRC) in 2004. As a clinical professor at the PDRC, he was primarily responsible for providing support to the entire American poultry industry and for teaching clinical medicine to veterinarians specializing in poultry medicine.

Collett has a special interest in managing the health of the digestive tract to maximize bird welfare, nutrient assimilation and performance. He has been invited to provide his expert opinion, write and present review papers, and problem-solve on the subject in more than 30 countries.