Cattle Chat with Richard Browning and Martha Hoffman Kerestes

The Livestock Conservancy

On today's Cattle Chat, Special Guest Dr. Richard Browning, Professor of Animal Science at Tennessee State University in Nashville, joins guest host Martha Hoffman Kerestes and Brittany Sweeney to chat about small farm economics and Dexter cattle, listed as recovering. Richard Browning grew up in Raywood, Texas where he was active in the Hull-Daisetta FFA and Liberty County 4-H through the raising and showing of Red Brahman cattle. He earned a B.Sc. (1989) from Prairie View A&M University and M.Sc. (1992) and Ph.D. (1994) from Texas A&M University. Dr. Browning’s graduate research, under the senior guidance of Dr. Ron Randel, focused on the reproductive performance of Brahman cattle and comparative calf performance of tropically-adapted Tuli cattle along with Angus and Brahman. In 1994, Dr. Browning arrived at Tennessee State University in Nashville. At TSU he studied physiological mechanisms and heat-tolerant cattle genetics in relation to fescue toxicosis using Angus, Brahman, Hereford, Holstein, and Senepol breeds. He started meat goat research in 2002. He began by studying performance traits among Boer, Kiko, and Spanish breeds, and later added Myotonic and Savanna goats to the research program. Dr. Browning established a Dexter cattle herd at TSU in 2015. The Dexter cattle will be used to advance student teaching and ruminant research. He is married to Dr. Maria Leite-Browning who is a veterinarian and Extension specialist. The two of them are thoroughly engaged in outreach activities to assist meat goat producers. An overview of his work can be found at http://www.tnstate.edu/faculty/rbrowning/ Martha Hoffman Kerestes grew up helping her parents raise Dutch Belted and Milking Shorthorn cattle, and today she works alongside her mother with the dual-purpose dairy herd and family genetics business, Bestyet A.I. Sires. She hopes to honor her late father's legacy by continuing where he left off in conservation work. She is Vice President of the Dutch Belted Cattle Association of America. Big thank you to Manna Pro for sponsoring International Species Chats this month! Learn more about how Manna Pro is Nurturing Life at https://www.mannapro.com/promotions/nurturing-life-2022