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Dr. Lucas Mitchell recently joined Vita Plus as a calf and heifer specialist. Based in Indiana, Mitchell will provide on-farm support with sales staff in Indiana, Michigan, and Ohio for all calf- and heifer-related projects. He will also work closely with members of the Vita Plus calf team to utilize current research and provide custom solutions to help dairy producers’ meet their calf and heifer program goals.

Mitchell grew up working on his family’s dairy farm in Indiana and attended Purdue University, where he received his bachelor’s degree in food science in 2013. As an undergraduate, Mitchell interned at Tyson Foods and Nestle before taking a full-time position at Sensient Technologies Corporation as an associate technologist. In this role, Mitchell developed and incorporated flavor ingredients into dairy and baked goods. He then returned to academics to pursue a Ph.D. in animal science, with a focus on dairy nutrition, from Penn State University. His research focused on the impacts forage type and quantity have on growth, intake, and metabolism of recently weaned dairy calves.

Vita Plus Corporation is an employee-owned company headquartered in Madison, Wisconsin, and has been serving livestock producers since 1948. More than just a feed supplier, Vita Plus consultants offer the latest cutting-edge technology, nutrition and management information. For more information about the organization call 800.362.8334 or go online at www.vitaplus.com.