Careers in Ag Series: Dairy Nutrition with Ben Saylor

In this Arizona Agriculture Connection Careers in Ag episode, Nicole interviews Ben Saylor, an Arizona-born dairy nutritionist, about his path from city upbringing with horses and rodeo/4-H/FFA involvement to a PhD and consulting career. Saylor explains how an animal feeding/nutritional biochemistry class shifted his goal from veterinary school to dairy nutrition, leading to a bachelor’s at the University of Arizona and a master’s at Kansas State through mentorship connections, plus internships that helped him enter the industry. He describes dairy nutrition as optimizing cow health and performance, noting dairy cows’ complex, changing nutrient demands and that large Arizona dairies may feed 10–12 rations daily. He outlines day-to-day work (farm visits, sampling, records review, research, and economics projects), discusses market forces like feed and milk prices, and emphasizes networking skills such as conferences, follow-ups, and contacting hiring managers.00:00 Welcome and Guest Intro00:33 Ben’s Ag Roots01:33 From Vet Dreams to Nutrition04:01 Grad School and PhD Path05:12 What a Dairy Nutritionist Does07:27 Beef vs Dairy Nutrition Demands09:33 How Many Rations on a Dairy10:43 Working With Feed Teams12:12 Choosing Programs and Advisors13:46 Mentors and Kansas State15:18 Internships Into the Industry17:54 Networking and Organizations20:12 Networking That Lasts22:03 Ask Questions Stay Humble22:40 Conference Contacts Strategy25:13 YFNR Convention Connections27:13 Scary Skills That Transfer29:38 Dairy Size And Trust30:43 Consulting With Purpose31:36 Day In Nutritionist Life34:18 Markets Tariffs And Margins36:54 Breaking In Without Background38:03 Final Wrap And Farewell