Alyssa Neff

Born and raised in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, Alyssa grew up actively involved in 4-H, showing and exhibiting projects and animals at her county fair and the Pennsylvania Farm Show. Her experiences in 4-H and her agricultural upbringing fostered a lifelong passion for textiles, plants, and animal agriculture. After graduating high school, she decided to head west to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, where she pursued a Bachelor of Science in Textile Science with minors in Animal Science and Chemistry. While at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, she had the privilege of working in both the material science laboratory and the dairy laboratory, which allowed her to gain a love of research. Working in the dairy laboratory allowed her to get hands-on experience in dairy cattle metabolism. In May of 2025, she graduated and was ready to head back east to pursue a master’s degree in dairy nutrition under the direction of Dr. Gonzalo Ferreira. Alyssa’s research spans both agronomy and dairy nutrition with a focus on reduced-lignin alfalfa and evaluating its digestibility in dairy cattle.