Rate My Professor Christy Bratcher

Dr. Christy Bratcher serves as Professor and Head of the Department of Animal and Dairy Sciences at Mississippi State University, a position she assumed in July 2023. She received her Bachelor of Science in Animal Science from the University of Florida in 2002, Master of Science in Animal Science from the same institution in 2004, and Doctor of Philosophy in Animal Science from the University of Missouri in 2007. Before joining Mississippi State, Bratcher held the role of Associate Dean of Research and Graduate Students at Texas Tech University’s Davis College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, where she developed a strategic plan that increased research grants from $8.1 million to $14.4 million in three years, fostered public-private partnerships, and advanced diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts. From 2007 to 2019 at Auburn University, she worked as Associate Professor and Meat Specialist and served as Director of the Food Systems Institute, managing a staff, a $1 million budget, and interdisciplinary teams of approximately 80 faculty members focused on innovative food research including the agriculture-food-health nexus. Earlier in her career, she gained experience in quality assurance within the beef cattle industry.

Bratcher’s research interests encompass stressors affecting dairy calves, food safety challenges, and consumer preferences for meat products, with a focus on meat science. Her publications include “Antemortem stress influences oxidative stress and meat quality during retail display in a model dairy calf study” (Barker et al., 2026, Meat Science and Muscle Biology), “Consumer preferences for worker and supply chain risk mitigation in the beef supply chain in response to COVID-19 pandemic” (Sumrow et al., 2024, Agribusiness), “Changes in physiological and immunological variables in weaned dairy calves exposed to different stressors” (Burdick-Sanchez et al., 2025, Oxford), “Exploring graduate students’ experiences in a college of agriculture” (White et al., 2024, NACTA Journal), and “Big data technology adoption in beef production” (Pina et al., 2023, Smart Agricultural Technology). She has received regional and national teaching and research awards, held leadership positions in the American Society of Animal Science for over eight years, and is a 2025-26 Southeastern Conference Academic Leadership Development Program Fellow as well as a participant in Mississippi State University’s Faculty Leadership Program. Bratcher teaches the department’s senior capstone course and serves on the Mississippi Board of Animal Health.