My name is Laura Fehlberg and I grew up in Orlando, FL. I attended University of Florida and obtained by B.S. in Animal Science with a focus in Equine Management in 2015. During my time at UF, I helped with many graduate research studies in equine nutrition which sparked my interest in graduate school. From here, I attended Kansas State University and obtained my Masters in Equine Nutrition in 2018. At KSU, my Masters research consisted of the digestibility of a rumen bypass fat in the horse and effects of cobalt on cecal microorganisms. We utilized a cecally cannulated horse herd for our research studies and therefore focused on fermentation within the horse. In addition to research, I assisted in managing the KSU Horse Unit, including breeding horses and teaching training classes.

Because of the emphasis on fermentation during my Masters, I decided to pursue my PhD in ruminant nutrition. I wanted to put an emphasis on nutritional physiology and effects of certain feedstuffs on immunology, reproduction, and production. This led me to Dr. Phil Cardoso at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign to study dairy nutrition. I plan to start a transition cow study involving amino acids.

Upon completion of my PhD, I hope to enter the industry in research and development or tech support. When I am not out at the dairy, I enjoy riding horses or running with my dog Moxie.