Driving Innovation and Sustainability in Poultry Nutrition

Dr. Stacey Roberts is a seasoned professional in the animal nutrition sector. She currently serves as the Senior Director of Nutrition at Versova where she leads the nutrition team, responsible for ensuring feed formulas meet the precise nutrient needs of each flock based on their age and stage of production.

In an exclusive interview with Agri Business Review, Roberts shared her invaluable insights into poultry nutrition along with the latest developments in the field.

A Career Rooted in Poultry Nutrition

My path to becoming Sr. Director of Nutrition at Versova has been shaped by a long-standing dedication to poultry nutrition, with a particular focus on egg-laying flocks. My journey started at Iowa State University, where I completed all of my collegiate work and earned a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and Environmental Science. During my doctoral research, I explored how dietary changes affect nutrient excretion in egg-laying hens. That experience sparked a passion for finding ways to improve both bird health and environmental outcomes through better nutrition.

After completing my PhD, I joined Cargill’s animal nutrition division. For nearly ten years, I worked alongside egg producers across the country, providing technical support and applying science to day-to-day operations. The role taught me how powerful nutrition can be when it’s grounded in research and tailored to the unique needs of each flock.

In 2020, I joined Versova where I lead the development and implementation of our nutrition program. This involves close collaboration with our feed mills, supply chain, and production teams to ensure our flocks receive the nutrients they need to perform efficiently—both biologically and economically—every single day.

Progress over Problems

While it is common to focus on challenges in roles like mine, I would rather begin with the opportunities in the sector. The pace of innovation in animal nutrition continues to accelerate, and we are seeing more tools and technologies available to enhance both efficiency and sustainability.

Much of this innovation is driven by industry-wide trends, such as antibiotic-free production in meat birds, which has catalyzed a wave of feed-based technologies. These advances benefit us in the egg sector as well. Improved feed additives and nutritional strategies allow us to support bird health while simultaneously optimizing input costs and reducing environmental impact. By optimizing our nutrient management, we enhance the efficiency of our feed utilization, allowing us to maintain high-quality egg production while minimizing waste. This approach benefits both our business operations and environmental sustainability efforts.

Feeding Smarter, Living Healthier

Two key trends are shaping the way we think about poultry nutrition. First, there is a growing recognition that animal feed plays a direct role in the human food supply. What we feed our hens ultimately influences the nutritional profile of the eggs people eat. This link is especially clear in products like vitamin-enriched or Omega-3-enriched eggs, where targeted feed formulation directly boosts the nutritional value of the final product.

Environmental sustainability is a core part of what we do in poultry nutrition, and it goes hand in hand with economic sustainability. When we manage nutrient inputs more efficiently, we reduce both waste and cost

Second, the tools we use to collect and manage data have improved significantly. We now have better ways to track everything from ingredient composition to flock performance. These advancements are changing how we make nutrition decisions. Instead of reacting to problems, we are starting to predict outcomes, which allows for faster, more informed decisions across the entire supply chain.

Feeding Efficiency for a Greener Future

Environmental sustainability is a core part of what we do in poultry nutrition, and it goes hand in hand with economic sustainability. When we manage nutrient inputs more efficiently, we reduce both waste and cost. One way we achieve this is by using feed enzymes like phytase, which helps make phosphorus more available to the bird. This allows us to lower the total phosphorus in the feed and reduce how much is excreted.

As enzyme technology has advanced, we have added others like carbohydrases and proteases. These help birds get more energy from fiber and extract more protein and amino acids from the same feed. That leads to better feed conversion and supports our sustainability goals by reducing nutrient losses and making every input count.

Looking Ahead with Purpose and Perspective

Over the next 12 to 18 months, I am particularly excited about how data integration and analytics will continue to shape our work. We’re gaining the ability to more precisely define ingredient nutrient profiles, tie that data into feed formulation software, and ultimately make nutrition decisions that are more informed and strategic. The potential applications of AI in agriculture, especially in nutrition modeling and predictive flock performance— are promising, and we are beginning to explore how those technologies can support our mission.

In the longer term, I see my role continuing to evolve with the industry, moving even further toward data-informed decision making, sustainability-driven nutrition strategies, and cross-functional integration between nutrition, operations, and business units.

Reflecting on my career thus far, one of the aspects I have most appreciated is the welcoming nature of the egg industry. It is a highly collaborative environment, where individuals are generally open to new ideas—particularly when those ideas have the potential to enhance the system as a whole.

If I were to offer one piece of advice to those entering this field, it would be to remain humble and inquisitive. Regardless of your level of experience, there is always more to learn. For those just beginning their journey, never underestimate the value of your perspective. Fresh insights and diverse skill sets often lead to meaningful innovation. I encourage you to contribute actively and engage with others. This industry holds ample opportunity for progress, and it is often the new voices that drive it forward.