Our Team
We look forward to working with you.
Saige Hagerty, MS, BA, BS
DIRECTOR OF RESEARCH
Hagerty was raised in a rural town in Iowa and attended Iowa State University to ultimately go on to become a veterinarian. During her time at ISU, Hagerty worked as an undergraduate researcher and found a new love working with dairy cattle and conducting research. Hagerty earned two bachelor’s degree in both Animal Science and Spanish in 2013.
With a change of heart, Hagerty continued her education at the University of Illinois to simultaneously earn her master’s degree and work as the Research Dairy Farm Assistant Manager to ultimately learn as much as possible about everything dairy farming. Graduating in 2016, Hagerty went on to manage the Research Dairy Farm at the University of Minnesota.
In 2019, Hagerty joined the phdR&D team as Director of Research and is responsible for project management, coordination, logistics, and data analysis. Hagerty oversees a small team of talented research professionals to ensure quality care is given to each client.
Patrick French, PhD, PAS, Dipl. ACAN
CHIEF TECHNICAL OFFICER
French is co-founder and principal scientist at phdR&D. French has over 20 years of research experience spanning both the private and public sectors. French also has ownership interest in a dairy management and analytical services firm. The complementary nature of practical, on-farm dairy consulting and modern, applied dairy research provides him with a unique perspective and approach to assisting clients in achieving their goals.
French is a native of Kentucky and has been associated with the dairy business since birth. His parents as well as his maternal grandfather operated dairy farms. He received degrees in accounting and animal sciences from the University of Kentucky and a PhD from Virginia Tech in Dairy Management and Nutrition. He is active in the American Registry of Professional Animal Scientists and past-President of the American College of Animal Sciences.
Patrick and his wife, Mary reside in Richmond, Virginia along with their four daughters. Whether at home between family activities or on the road between client visits, you may find him running down a trail or cow path logging miles for some future adventure.
Rachel Kas, BS
RESEARCH ASSOCIATE
Kas earned her bachelor’s degree in human resource management from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater in 2009. After years of leading a training team in the corporate restaurant world, she decided to pursue a life-long passion of exploring the agriculture industry. In 2016, Kas joined the phdR&D team as a research technician and discovered her niche.
Following her appreciation of the industry, Kas went on to continue her education and earned a second bachelor’s degree in Dairy Science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2020 and has plans of broadening her education even further in the future. During her studies at UW-Madison she completed an interesting internship project that examined relationships between cow anatomy and feeding behaviors. Kas enjoys the unique role phdR&D plays in making a positive impact in the dairy industry.
Kaylee Stowell, BS
RESEARCH ASSOCIATE
Stowell comes from a small family farm in Burlington, WI. Throughout her primary education, she worked as a milker on a 400 cow dairy farm. She knew at a young age, working with animals was her dream. While attending the University of Wisconsin-Platteville, Stowell decided that agriculture was her calling and went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in animal science with a minor in Biology in 2020.