Crystal Levesque

Crystal grew up on a mixed farming operation in western Canada (small grains, cattle and

broilers). She had a few careers (stay-at-home mom, restaurant owner) before heading back to

complete degrees in animal science and nutrient metabolism; studying at University of Saskatchewan,

University of Alberta and University of Guelph. Crystal joined the faculty at South Dakota State

University in 2013 and developed a swine nutrition program focused on sow feeding strategies to

optimize piglet growth in the suckling and post-weaning periods. Her work also includes amino acid

metabolism during gestation, feedstuff impact on early post-weaning gut health, and ingredient

evaluation. The best part of her job: grad students. Important lesson learned: don’t be afraid to try

something new. Favorite non-work activity: playing with the grandkids.

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