Robin Rastani Dairy Consultant Standard Dairy Consultants Sioux Falls, South Dakota


What education are you bringing with you to this position?

  • B.S. in animal science and pathobiology from the University of Connecticut
  • M.S. in animal science from the University of Connecticut
  • Ph.D. in dairy science from University of Wisconsin

Please describe your agricultural background.
I grew up in suburban Massachusetts, but always had a fondness for animals. I rode horses from a young age, and began caring for them in my teens. I enrolled in the University of Connecticut with the intention of becoming a veterinarian. I began learning and working with the livestock on campus. During an internship at the Miner Agricultural Institute in Chazy, New York, I was inspired by the precision associated with nutrition during the transition period of dairy cows. When I returned to UCONN, I began milking in the dairy barn and doing undergraduate research with dairy cows.

What territory will you cover?
I live in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. I will work with dairy producers and their herds along the I-29 corridor, which includes South Dakota, Minnesota, Nebraska and Iowa.

What are your new responsibilities?
My new role is as a Dairy Consultant with Standard Dairy Consulting. I’m working directly with dairy producers to help them achieve their goals. I’m trained as a dairy nutritionist with expertise in overcoming low milk components, transition cow nutrition and management, cow comfort, and calf nutrition and management.

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What previous positions have you held?
I have been in technical support positions for the past seven and a half years with companies that supply feed or feed additives to the dairy industry. In these roles, I worked closely with other nutritionists in the field, providing training and working with them to find solutions to the challenges they faced.

  • Dairy technical specialist with Milk Specialties Global from October 2006to February 2011
  • Dairy technical manager with Novus International Inc. from February 2011to March 2014.

How will you be of most help to producers in your region or area of expertise?
I want to help dairy producers achieve their goals. My areas of expertise are transition cow nutrition and management, overcoming low milk components and calf nutrition.

Why did you choose this company?
Standard Nutrition has a good reputation in the field of providing top-notch nutrition and management knowledge to dairy producers. I was also impressed that they allow the consultants to act in an entrepreneurial manner. PD