The Mississippi State University Extension Service has a new specialist to support the important small-ruminant industry in the state.

Leyla Rios de Alvarez began work at MSU in December as an assistant Extension/research professor of small ruminant production in the Department of Animal and Dairy Sciences. The Venezuelan native is the new Extension sheep and goat specialist. Her work will focus on existing programs as well as establishing new efforts to help Mississippi producers be more successful in their sheep and goat businesses.

Rios worked in Venezuela and Columbia after earning a master’s degree in animal nutrition at the Universidad Central de Venezuela. She received her doctorate in ruminant parasitology-nutrition interaction at the University of Edinburgh and Moredun Research Institute in Scotland. Her expertise lies in the interaction of nutrition and parasites in ruminants, along with plant extracts and bioactive forages for animal health and welfare.

Rios was an associate researcher at the Colombian Agricultural Research Corporation, where she was part of the animal health and welfare research group working on the development of natural treatments to reduce the use of commercial drugs for controlling gastrointestinal parasites. She is also a former associate professor at Universidad Central de Venezuela.

Rios was a member of the Livestock Scientific Committee and the Bioethics Committee of the Colombian Research Corporation.

Rios can be reached at 662-325-0123 or lr1207@msstate.edu.