UW professor from Lovell celebrates six years in animal science

Lovell native Cody Gifford, a University of Wyoming Assistant Professor of Animal Science, recently celebrated five years at the university. A 2009 graduate of Lovell High School, he has been a faculty member at UW since the fall of 2019.

In his position at UW, Gifford wears many hats: teaching, conducting research and overseeing the meat lab.

Gifford grew up in Lovell, the son of Bill and Kim Gifford. He started at Casper College and earned an Associate of Science in Animal Science in 2011, then moved on to Colorado State University and earned a Bachelor of Science in Animal Science in 2013.

He stayed in Fort Collins and received a Master of Science degree in Animal Science and a second M.S. degree in Food Science and Human Nutrition from CSU in 2016.

At CSU, he met a mentor who would cultivate in him an interest in animal science: Dr. Dale Worerner.

“I got the chance to start working with him and with his graduate students on a number of meat science research studies that were ongoing,” Gifford said. “And that’s really where my interest in the field really, I think, sort of exploded.”

Gifford completed a PhD in Animal Science at CSU in 2019, and after completing his doctorate, he applied for an opening in Animal Science at UW and was hired, starting his UW career that fall.

During his time at the university, he has conducted research and has several areas of focus: red meat in the human diet, lamb raising techniques and beef quality.

“I’m trained as a meat scientist, which really means that I focus on trying to understand how we manage live animals, what happens during the processing portion of converting a live animal into a carcass or a meat product and how we store, age and treat the packaged product afterward for development of flavor, tenderness, color stability and shelf life, properties that all impact consumer satisfaction,” Gifford said.

Gifford is currently looking at the impact of feedlot heart failure. Cattle at a higher elevation tend to experience heart failure, both for genetic and environmental reasons. However, some feedlot cattle at lower elevations recently experienced heart failure, as well, Gifford said. While other researchers focus on the genetic causes of heart failure, Gifford looks at the effects on the final meat product when an animal survives heart failure and is processed. He found that meat from these animals has issues with flavor and starts to discolor faster than other beef, turning green or brown. Gifford is also studying how to extend the shelf life of ground beef and which cooking techniques improve the flavor with beef rounds. 

On the lamb side, Gifford is researching Katahdin sheep. Not much research has been done on this breed, but they are gaining popularity in food production, he said. Katahdin sheep produce hair instead of wool, which means they don’t need shearing. They are parasite resistant and a quick growing breed, which makes them ideal for food production. Though this breed has been in the U.S. for a while, it’s become more common for use in cross breeding and producers looking for easier maintenance sheep.

Outside of his research, Gifford teaches several classes, including a 3,000 level meat science and muscle biology course, as well as a 4,000 level animal growth and development course. Throughout his courses, he strives to provide opportunities for undergraduate research and involves students in his projects.

Every semester for the past four years, students have enrolled in undergraduate research, undergraduate extension and sensory analysis, where students learn through hands-on activities and applied science, rather than lecture-based courses.

“It’s a way to get students more involved beyond sort of the typical curriculum that’s required for their degree and helps them get connected to some of the research that I’m doing,” Gifford said.

Gifford has extension responsibilities, where he helps with outreach for UW’s animal science programs. This involves speaking at conferences and giving presentations and giving cooking and meat cutting demos, as well as coordinating with other industry partners and other universities’ animal science programs. 

Gifford also is the faculty supervisor for the meat lab on campus. In this position he oversees all activities and programs that go on there, including class visits and other faculty research that occurs in the lab. The lab is also used by the UW meat judging team and for outreach with groups like 4-H and university stakeholders.

“We (Gifford and other faculty members) also make sure that that (use) takes place, and really the facility is there to support the land-grant mission of research, teaching and extension,” Gifford said.

Gifford received word this week that he has been granted tenure and was promoted to associate professor effective this fall.