Professor
Cornell University
114 Morrison Hall
Ithaca, NY 14853
(w) (607) 592-5891
About
Michael Thonney grew up on his great-grandfather’s homestead between Pullman, WA and Moscow, ID. He raised sheep, pigs, and cattle for 4-H and FFA projects during his teenage years. After graduating from Washington State University in 1971, he earned MS (1973) and PhD (1975) degrees in nutrition at the University of Minnesota before joining the faculty at Cornell. His research has included the effect of potential mature size on growth and body composition of sheep and cattle, biological control of long-bone growth, genes that affect differential muscle growth, genetics of seasonality of sheep reproduction, vaccination against diseases in sheep, and dietary effects of potentially-fermentable fiber in growing lambs and lactating ewes. A recent addition is focused on management of sheep to control vegetation on solar farms. He teaches ANSC 3500 (Meat) with Jessica Waltemyer in fall semesters. His spring semester courses alternate between ANSC 3800 (Sheep) and ANSC 3600 (Beef Cattle).
Projects
| GNE16-123 | Sustainable year-round sheep milking management |
| GNE13-065 | Effect of artificial or natural rearing of replacement ewe lambs on their maternal behaviors |
| LNE13-327 | Copper oxide wire particles to control H. contortus on sheep and goat farms with a range of grazing practices |
| LNE10-304 | Identifying helpful management practices to reduce labor, expenses, and stress during lambing and kidding |
| LNE05-230 | Increasing viability of meat goat farms |