A YOUNG South Australian woman with a passion for livestock health and wellbeing has been named the Alltech Young Scientist for 2018, after her research into the effects of different protein sources won her a place to challenge against the world’s best young research scientists.
Ngapala’s Leesa Flanagan won the global competition against three other researchers in Kentucky, United States, in May, after being placed first in the Asia Pacific category in Australia earlier this year. Her prize includes a fully-funded PhD at any university in the world and $US5000.
After completing a Bachelor of Animal Science at the University of Adelaide this year, Ms Flanagan studied an honour program researching animal nutrition.
“I was not raised on a conventional farm but we always had horses with a few cattle and sheep,” Ms Flanagan said.
“I always had my heart set on becoming a veterinarian but once I researched the industry further I decided to tweak it and become an animal nutritionist,” she said.
Ms Flanagan entered the competition with a research paper discussing the results from a trial comparing the growth effects on lambs being fed a rumen digestible protein and undegradable protein diet.
The trial lasted for 27 days and 120 lambs were fed three separate diets using different types of protein.
Diet A was high in RDP and low in UDP with urea as the protein source, diet B was high in UDP and low in RDP with peas as protein, while diet C had the same levels but used lupins as a source of protein.
“The trial showed that lambs fed a diet high in UDP were bigger and although we did not find a significant difference in condition score, the lambs had better body condition and higher live weights, as well as a greater average daily weight gain, too,” Ms Flanagan said.
“We also worked out the cost to take the lambs to market. The lambs fed a higher UDP diet were brought to market size a lot quicker and they ate less, so economically it was cheaper,” she said.
“Urea is a cheaper protein source than peas or lupins but in the end it will cost you less to use the more expensive protein because it is quicker to reach market specifications.”
The 21-year-old said the opportunities the award could present her later in life were “just crazy”.
“It is unheard of to receive such an incredible study opportunity,” she said.
“I am not sure when I will commence a PhD and what I will research but I have a big interest in protein and developing that within diets – particularly feedlot scenarios.”
Ms Flanagan lives with her partner on a Ngapala farm that runs about 700 Merino ewes, and she said each year her passion for the industry grew.
She said meeting industry professionals during the trip to the US reaffirmed her chosen path within the agricultural sector.
“The more I see and experience the more passion it evokes,” she said.
At this stage, Ms Flanagan’s future ambitions surround researching how to further the potential of production animals through nutrition and diet.
“It is an area that keeps growing and developing. As new technologies arrive and the industry continues to make genetic gains, nutrition is an area that will have to grow along with the rest of the industry,” she said.
“That is why I think it is important more people are involved in developing the area.
“It is always changing and there is always something new – I enjoy watching it develop and I want to be a part of it.”
Ms Flanagan’s ultimate career goal is to become to a sheep health, nutrition and reproduction consultant.
