The objective of Dr. Overton's work is to enhance the productive efficiency and profitability of dairy farm businesses in New York and beyond. His focus is on the portion of the lactation cycle during which cows "transition" from late pregnancy to early lactation, because it is the most critical period in terms of productive efficiency, health, reproductive performance and overall well-being of dairy cattle.

Substantial economic losses to the dairy industry occur as a result of compromised production, increased veterinary costs and culling, and delayed reproductive performance as a result of suboptimal transitions to lactation. The metabolic underpinnings of this transition are not well understood, and the dairy industry needs further insight into nutritional and managerial strategies to optimize productivity and health of cows during the transition period.

Dr. Overton's goal is to enhance our understanding of these critical metabolic adaptations that must occur if cows are to successfully transition to lactation, and to develop nutritional and managerial strategies that can be applied to improve animal well-being and the profitability of dairy farm businesses.

In addition to his research, Dr. Overton serves as Director of the PRO-DAIRY program at Cornell. The program positively impacts the dairy industry in rural NY communities, spanning both statewide and regional (NY Center for Dairy Excellence, Northwest NY Regional Dairy, Field Crops, and Livestock team of Cornell Cooperative Extension). Cornell's PRO-DAIRY program provides primary leadership to short courses in dairy nutrition for agriservice professionals and to major outreach efforts focused toward dairy farm owners and employees.