Jasmine Dillon

they/she

Assistant Professor of Global Livestock Sustainability, Animal Science

About

Areas of Interest

Livestock production systems
Regenerative agriculture
Food systems
Food is medicine
Life cycle assessment
System dynamics modeling
Environmental biophysics
Planetary health
Agroecology
Grazing management

Research Focus

Our group investigates the connection between farm/ranch management and public policy on the environmental, social and economic outcomes of sustainable food systems. Our research questions are transdisciplinary, so we frequently work in collaborative, interdisciplinary and multi-sector teams. In addition to animal scientists, our collaborators include producers, economists, social scientists, ecologists, soil scientists and agronomists. We combine participatory modeling methods with modeling tools which include life cycle assessment, process modeling and system dynamics to answer sustainability questions about food and livestock systems. Our work supports the ongoing development of production systems and supply chains which regenerate the natural resources we rely on and nourish the people who consume their products.

Our current research is a balance of modeling and field-based work centered on three primary areas:

Relationships between production efficiency, consumption and environmental impact in food systems
Modeling the impacts of farm management and food policy on sustainability outcomes at the farm, landscape and supply chain-scale
Grazing systems

Teaching Focus

Courses formerly taught

Sustainable Livestock Systems
Life Cycle Assessment for Food System Sustainability

Education

Doctorate in Animal Science/Sustainability
Penn State University/USDA ARS Pasture Systems and Watershed Management Research Unit, 2019
Master of Science in Animal Breeding
Texas A&M University, 2013
Bachelor of Science in Animal Science
Texas A&M University, 2011

Recent Research

Choi, E., Carneiro De Souza, V., Dillon, J. A., Kebreab, E., & Mueller, N. D. (2024). Comparative analysis of thermal indices for modeling cold and heat stress in US dairy systems. Journal of Dairy Science, 107(8), 5817–5832. https://doi.org/10.3168/jds.2023-24412
McClelland, S.C., J.D. Haddix, E.H. Boughton, R.K. Boughton, R.S. Miller, H.M. Swain, and J.A. Dillon. 2023. Quantifying biodiversity impacts of livestock using life-cycle perspectives. Front. Ecol. Environ. doi:10.1002/fee.2636.
Dillon, J. A. (2022, January). Modeling the environmental impact of enhanced production efficiency. In Journal of Dairy Science (vol. 105, pp. 165-165). ste 800, 230 Park Ave, New York, NY 10169 USA: Elsevier Science Inc.
Dillon, J. A., Stackhouse-Lawson, K. R., Thoma, G. J., Gunter, S. A., Rotz, C. A., Kebreab, E., Riley, D. G., Tedeschi, L. O., Villalba, J., Mitloehner, F., Hristov, A. N., Archibeque, S. L., Ritten, J. P., & Mueller, N. D. (2021). Current state of enteric methane and the carbon footprint of beef and dairy cattle in the United States. Animal Frontiers, 11(4), 57–68. https://doi.org/10.1093/af/vfab043
Dillon, J.A., C.A. Rotz, and H.D. Karsten. 2020. Management characteristics of Northeast U.S. grass-fed beef production systems. Applied Animal Sci. doi:10.15232/aas.2020-01992.
Jablonski, K.E., J.A. Dillon, J.W. Hale, B.BR. Jablonski, and M.S. Carolan. 2020. One place doesn’t fit all: Improving the effectiveness of sustainability standards by accounting for place. Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems. doi:10.3389/fsufs.2020.557754.
Ranck, E.J., L.A. Holden, J.A. Dillon, C A. Rotz, and K.J. Soder. 2019. Economic and environmental impact of double cropping winter annuals and corn using the Integrated Farm System Model. J. Dairy Sci. 103(4):3804-3815. doi:10.3168/jds.2019-17525.
Rotz, C. A., Asem-Hiablie, S., Dillon, J., & Bonifacio, H. (2015). Cradle-to-farm gate environmental footprints of beef cattle production in Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas1. Journal of Animal Science, 93(5), 2509–2519. doi:10.2527/jas.2014-8809

Report

J. Dillon and M. Machmuller. 2021. Regenerative grazing, carbon, and climate. The Pasture Project at the Wallace Center at Winrock International.

Contact Information

247 Frank Morrison Hall
507 Tower Road
Ithaca, NY 14853

jad553 [at] cornell.edu

- LinkedIn

Jasmine in the news

Spotlight

September 24, 2025

Meet our faculty: Jasmine Dillon

Academic focus: Sustainability of livestock and food production systems Research summary: I study the role of animals in sustainable food systems at the farm, ranch, region, landscape and supply chain scale. My lab combines modeling and field...

Animal Science
Animals

News

September 24, 2025

Meet our new faculty - fall 2025