Western Livestock Journal: The Viewpoint with Rick Funston
Dr. Rick Funston has been an integral figure over the years in the study and advancement of cattle reproductive physiology. Rick grew up on a farming and ranching operationin central North Dakota before obtaining his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in animal science from North Dakota State University and Montana State University, and a doctorate in reproductive biology from the University of Wyoming.
Since 2002, Rick has been a faculty member in the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s (UNL) Department of Animal Science, where he serves as a professor and reproductive physiologist at the UNL West Central Research and Extension Center. Previously, Rick also worked with the Montana State University Extension, was an assistant animal science professor and rodeo coach at Chadron State College and worked as a nutritionist for a feed company.
Over his decades-spanning career, he has been involved in numerous research projects and has co-authored hundreds of publications, holding a special interest in heifer development and rebreeding of the first-calf heifer. In addition to his academic contributions, Rick has actively participated in various industry committees, many related to cattle reproduction. Notably, he has been involved with the Beef Reproduction Task Force since its inception.
New research highlights
In some newer research, published in the 2024 Nebraska Beef Cattle Report, Rick and his co-authors researched AI’ing beef heifers with multi-sire semen. The practice has been used in the beef industry for a number of years, routinely so in Australia, but less prevalently in the U.S.
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