Her laboratory has recently produced recombinant equine relaxin in a mammalian cell line. The availability of sufficient quantities of purified recombinant equine relaxin opens up exciting possibilities for new research and therapeutic applications for the hormone in the future. Michael Westendorf's research is centered on the recycling and processing of food waste into animal feed. The potential impact in this area is significant for decreasing landfill and processing costs and for making a new feedstuff available for animals. His research has resulted in a book entitled Food Waste to Animal Feed, edited by Dr. Westendorf and published by Iowa State University Press.
Manure disposal is a major problem for all animal industries worldwide.
Disposal of manure is a management challenge for the small farmer and his research is directed toward finding new solutions. James Wohlt's research using both positve and negative control diets clearly established the value of feeding supplemental yeast to dairy cattle that are fed corn silage-based diets during early lactation. In addition, he is evaluating the use of pelleted, recycled newspaper as a safe, low-cost animal bedding material. Westendorf and Wohlt's research programs meet the goal of sustainability by decreasing the amount of food waste or newspaper which must be landfilled and provide farmers with inexpensive, nutritious feeds and bedding material which can be substituted for more expensive commercial products. Sustainable agriculture co-exists with a healthy wildlife population that does not cause damage exceeding a producer's level of tolerance.