Three Texas A&M AgriLife Research scientists in the Texas A&M Department of Animal Science earned top honors for their outstanding work during the recent  American Society of Animal Scientists, ASAS, annual meeting in Hollywood, Florida.

George Perry, Ph.D., AgriLife Research beef cattle physiologist at the Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center in Overton and professor in the Department of Animal Science, received the Animal Physiology and Endocrinology Award, sponsored by the James W. Lauderdale Appreciation Club.

João Vendramini, Ph.D., an AgriLife Research forage expert, professor and director of the Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center at Stephenville, was presented with the Extension Award, sponsored by Zoetis Inc.

Ronald Randel, Ph.D., Regents Fellow, AgriLife Research Senior Faculty Fellow and professor emeritus, was honored with the ASAS Retiree Service Award, which was sponsored by ASAS.

Additionally, two students brought back awards for their research posters.

“These honors are a testament to the Texas A&M Department of Animal Science’s world-class faculty and students,” said Clay Mathis, Ph.D., head of the Department of Animal Science. “We are proud of each of our award winners and the positive influence each one has on the industries we serve, the students we train and the advancement of animal science.”

Perry honored with Animal Physiology and Endocrinology Award

Two men stand with an award between them from the American Society of Animal Scientists
George Perry, Ph.D., right,Texas A&M AgriLife Research cattle physiologist and associate professor in the Department of Animal Science, accepted the Animal Physiology and Endocrinology Award from James Sartin, left, association CEO, during the recent American Society of Animal Scientists annual meeting. (American Society of Animal Scientists)

Perry, who joined AgriLife Research in 2020, is recognized in the U.S. and internationally for his accomplishments and expertise in cattle reproduction. His research mission is to enhance productivity in Texas’ $15.5 billion cattle industry and impact ranching operations globally through innovative science.

His highly productive research program, with activities spanning the past decade, has focused on reproduction management in beef cattle. It is often conducted on producers’ operations, and his findings are incorporated into subsequent management decisions, according to his nomination.

Before joining AgriLife Research, Perry was a faculty member and beef reproduction Extension specialist in the animal science department at South Dakota State University for 17 years.

Vendramini earns Extension Award

a woman in a white blouse and a man in a dark suit stand with a award plaque between them from the American Society of Animal Scientists.
João Vendramini, Ph.D., Texas A&M AgriLife Research forage expert, professor and director of the Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center at Stephenville, was presented with the Extension Award by Emily Melchior, Ph.D., Zoetis, during the 2025 American Society of Animal Scientists. (American Society of Animal Scientists)

Vendramini, who joined AgriLife Research three months ago, has built a program dedicated to forage management, with an emphasis on subtropical production systems. His program emphasizes the forage-livestock interface and how forage management impacts animal production and ecosystem services.

He served as assistant professor and forage specialist at the Texas A&M AgriLife center at Overton and as a faculty member in the Texas A&M Department of Soil and Crop Sciences from 2005 to 2006, before spending 18 years as a forage specialist at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Range Cattle Research and Education Center.

Vendramini was previously recognized as the Florida Cattlemen’s Association Researcher of the Year, Florida Association of County Agriculture Agents Outstanding Specialist and with the ASAS Southern Section Extension Award. He is a Fellow of the Crop Science Society of America and the American Society of Agronomy and is a member of the American Registry of Professional Animal Scientists.

Randel recognized with Retiree Service Award

Two men, one in a dark suit jacket and another in a black shirt with a white logo stand with a one holding a plaque
At left, Ronald Randel, Ph.D., Regents Fellow, Texas A&M AgriLife Research Senior Faculty Fellow and professor emeritus, accepted the Retiree Service Award from James Sartin, right, association CEO, during the 2025 American Society of Animal Scientists. (American Society of Animal Scientists)

Randel is a world-renowned authority on beef cattle reproductive physiology and endocrinology. He spent more than four decades with AgriLife Research in Overton before retiring in 2019.

His research projects focused on the reproductive physiology of tropically adapted cattle, the nutrition-reproduction interaction, and the temperament and stress responsiveness of beef cattle. He also researched the physiology and endocrinology of ovarian and pituitary functions in Brahman cattle.

Randel was a Fulbright Fellow and previously received the ASAS Physiology and Endocrinology Award, the L.E. Casida Award and the Morrison Award.

Student poster winners

Two students earned honors with the graduate student posters:

  • Dallas Soffa, 1st place – Influences on bacterial diversity of the beef cow uterine microbiome.
  • Artur Grando Pilati, 3rd place – The effect of partial replacement levels of steam-flaked corn with high-moisture rolled-sorghum grain on total tract digestibility of finishing steers.
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