139 Effects of Adding Liquid Lactose or Molasses to Pelleted Swine Diets on Pellet Quality and Pig Performance.

Abstract

thank you for providing me the opportunity to continue my education, providing support and challenging me. To Dr. Wickersham, thank you for adopting me as one of your graduate students and for inviting me to spend holidays with your family.To Dr. Leslie Frenzel, Del Rio would not have been as entertaining without you, your advice and knowledge were tremendous. To Mike Penn, I mostly drove you crazy out at the farm but I know that you loved it.To my fellow graduate students, thank you for making Texas feel like home, I am better for knowing all of you. I look forward to seeing what life has in store for each of you and hope that one day our paths will cross again. The Swine Nutrition and Production (SNaP) Team -Sarah, Logan and Lily -thank you for all of the laughs and support in good and challenging times. You are all rock stars for helping my projects run smoothly. Jessica, Emily, and Amelia, thanks for fielding all of my questions, being listening ears, great roommates (pseudo-roommates) and friends.I am thankful to have had many mentors thus far in my life and for each I am grateful. My achievements are a testament to you and the guidance and wisdom you have shared. To Coach Ben Williamson, thank you for encouraging me to undertake this graduate school journey and believing in me when I had doubts. To my friends that v I consider family, while we are spread from coast to coast pursuing our dreams, please know that I think of you often and appreciate your love and support. Thank goodness for modern technology that we are able to remain so close when we live so far. To my family, they say you cannot pick your family but I would choose all of you, every time.I truly hit the family jackpot. Thank you for supporting all of my endeavors and cultivating my passion for agriculture. To my grandmothers and grandfather, I was only given you for a chapter of my life but your memory still lives in me every day. I hope I am making you proud. To Mom and Dad, my pillars, your love and support are unmatched. Dad, I have never met anyone that works harder than you, you are my inspiration to never give up and to figure it out when things get tough. You may say that "It's all about the money" but you do it all for your family and for others. Mom, you are so self-sacrificing for my happiness and the best cheerleader around. All that I am and hope to be, I owe to my mother. Above all, I thank God for giving me the courage to pursue my dreams, wherever they may lead.