Dr. Josh McCann joined the Department of Animal Sciences at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2016. Dr. McCann grew up in the southeast on a small family farm. He obtained a B.S. in animal and food science at Texas Tech University, followed by a M.S. in animal science at Texas A&M University, and a Ph.D. at the University of Illinois.
Dr. McCann’s research centers on the influence of nutrition on metabolism and subsequent efficiency and performance of feedlot cattle. We are striving to understand the interplay between nutrition, the rumen microbiome, and the gastrointestinal epithelium to connect this fundamental information to applied advances in the feedlot. To study these effects, Dr. McCann utilizes classic ruminant nutrition techniques coupled with molecular high-throughput technologies. His research goal is to leverage new nutritional insights to improve the efficiency, sustainability, and profitability of feedlot cattle operations.
Ongoing research includes: determining rumen degradable protein requirements in growing cattle, evaluating changes in feed intake pattern during the finishing phase, understanding susceptibility to ruminal acidosis, and evaluating microbial interactions within the rumen.