Dr. Donald Mahan received the 2016 FASS-AFIA Frontiers in Animal Nutrition Award given for his lifetime production of innovative research at the July 2016 ASAS meeting in Salt Lake City.
Don Mahan has greatly impacted the pork and feed industries in diverse areas over his career. Although well known nationally and internationally for his Se and vitamin E research, he has conducted considerable research in other areas. His multi-parity sow research demonstrated the requirement for Ca and P and that organic Se results in more and healthier pigs, less sow parturition problems and maintained milk Se for 5 parities. He identified the need for vitamin C, high quality dried whey, lactose, and chloride for the weaned pig. His research was the basis for FDA’s approval for both organic and inorganic Se. He established the need for vitamin E for sows and neonatal and nursing pigs. Body composition research with sows and grower-finisher pigs helped establish the mineral needs of swine. He recently demonstrated that the innate micro minerals are more digestible than previously thought. Dr. Mahan is clearly an innovator and leader in swine nutrition and the feed industry.
Dr. Mahan recently passed away on August 15, 2016.