Chrisee Brandl, whose coverage area includes Osage, Maries and Gasconade counties among her seven-county region, joined the University of Missouri Extension as a field specialist in livestock in January 2024.

Brandl, a recent graduate of the University of Missouri, where she earned her master’s degree in plant, Insect, and Microbial Sciences, is based at the Callaway County Extension Center in Fulton. Her graduate research focused on the critical relationship between forage quality and livestock nutrition in grazing systems — an intersection she’s passionate about.

As a field specialist in livestock with MU Extension, Brandl will provide unbiased science-based information, support, and education to livestock producers throughout the region. She serves Callaway, Cole, Gasconade, Osage, Maries, Montgomery, and Warren counties. She is excited to serve local livestock producers and connect with the community she now serves.

“I always knew I wanted to pursue a career in agriculture,” said Brandl. “As an undergraduate at Mizzou, I had the opportunity to work with a professor who specialized in the forage-livestock interface. I quickly realized this was where I could make a real difference.”

That early exposure sparked a deep-rooted interest, and Brandl committed her academic and personal journey to better understanding and supporting forage and livestock systems focusing on pasture management and animal nutrition. In addition to her academic work, Brandl and her husband are first-generation cow-calf producers, gaining valuable hands-on experience that further strengthens her connection to the producers she now serves.

She serves as cordinator of the central Missouri Show-Me-Select Replacement Heifer Program, she is a trainer for Beef Quality and Pork Quality Assurance (BQA and PQA), certified in small unmanned aircraft to assist in drone trainings for livestock, a committee member for the Women in Agriculture program Pearls of Production, and serves as the young farmers and ranchers representative for her local Missouri Farm Bureau.

“I am thrilled to have this position and to work directly with livestock producers,” she said. “As an Extension Specialist, I’m here to help producers succeed and to bring the latest research and knowledge into practical use in their livestock systems.”

Livestock producers are encouraged to reach out to Brandl at any time with livestock questions. She can be reached by phone at 573-642-0755 or email chriseebrandl@missouri.edu. The Callaway County Extension Center in Fulton is at 10 East Fifth Street.