Anna Pesta, Ph.D.

Pesta’s work will focus on equine nutrition, including working directly with horse owners and veterinarians to recommend diets and supporting sales staff.

“I am looking forward to using my background in nutrition in an applied way to directly impact the day-to-day lives of Purina’s customers,” says Pesta. “Making a difference with nutrition is what’s going to impact the owners and their horses the most.”

Pesta’s expertise and interests include:

• Equine and ruminant nutrition
• Equine care and management
• Equine industry trends and nutrition needs
• Feed formulation and ration evaluation

Pesta received her bachelor’s degree in animal science from Kansas State University in 2009 and completed her master’s degree in ruminant nutrition in 2011 from the University of Nebraska. Her master’s work focused on utilizing byproduct feeds in high-fat finishing diets. In 2015, she graduated from the University of Nebraska with her Ph.D. in ruminant nutrition, studying nutritional strategies to reduce methane production in growing and finishing.

While at the University of Nebraska, Pesta coached the horse judging team and taught junior and senior level courses on the principles of horse evaluation. She also assisted in producing training videos on horse safety for feedlot pen riders and presenting oral reasons for youth horse judging teams. 

Originally from North Carolina, Pesta grew up showing and judging horses and livestock through her local 4-H club. Pesta has experience as a three-day event competitor as well as riding and judging western discipline shows.