Arquimides Reyes was born in El Salvador and grew up on a dairy and beef farm in a small town. As time passed, conditions made it so that his grandparents wanted him and his sister to pursue a better education and be with their parents, who had immigrated to the U.S.
At the age of 10, he moved to Texas, with no interest in agriculture as he had the preconceived notion that farmers are poor. That changed when Arquimides took an animal science class, and his instructor encouraged him to join FFA. Arquimides showed goats and pigs and became the treasurer of the chapter. Arquimides told WLJ his time in FFA was life-altering, inspiring him to enroll at Texas A&M University, where he was a member of the Corps Cadets and received his bachelor’s degree in animal science.
Arquimides enjoyed learning about the scientific process and the agriculture industry. He wanted to pursue this passion, but obtaining further education was extremely difficult for him. When the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program was established, it “gave me the next breath of air to continue getting a master’s, because that’s what allowed me to continue going to school.” Arquimides was told he could receive a green card if he continued his education.
Arquimides worked full-time with Terry Stokes in his capacity at PAK Quality Foods, while also attending Angelo State University for his master’s degree in animal science with a meat science emphasis.
Arquimides then went on to earn his doctorate at Colorado State University (CSU), evaluating the use of feed additives to reduce methane and improve digestibility in livestock. Under the guidance of Dr. Bob Delmore and Dr. Terry Engle at CSU, he worked to minimize contamination of meat after hide removal, which led to exploring the minimization of ruminal shedding of E. coli and salmonella. Arquimides also investigated the rumen microbiome to determine any associations between rumen content and liver abscesses.
Arquimides was told in order to receive a green card he needed to continue his work as a scientist. This also paired well with his passion for educating others about agriculture and mentoring students.
Arquimides is currently an assistant professor at the University of Wisconsin at River Falls (UWRF), teaching courses in beef production, meat science, feedlot management and conducting research on beef-dairy crosses.
Specifically, he is comparing Angus and SimAngus crosses with Holstein as part of two projects funded by the Dairy Innovation Hub. Holstein Association USA approached his team for the first project, evaluating sire selection based on phenotype and genotype to females and whether sire selection will impact feedlot performance and carcass quality.
Dr. Reyes’ Beef Systems lab spoke with dairy producers in Wisconsin and found producers were using the cheapest black semen straws due to the perceived lack of benefits, which also resulted in their animals being discounted at the sale barn. Arquimides and his team selected better-quality semen from Angus and SimAngus bulls based on EPDs for ribeye area and muscling, with the goal of improving muscling in the hind quarter.
“We want to see if we can improve hind quarter muscling development and whether it is sire driven,” Arquimides said. “So, we are using the same sire on multiple cows to see if the sire has the ability to develop that muscle.”
Part of the project, Arquimides said, was for calves that did not meet the study’s criteria to see how these animals may receive discounts at the sale barn based on color markings. Arquimides noted that sale barns are discounting cattle based on the location of white markings. Therefore, his lab is tracking the discount and marking location (i.e., on the face or the legs). Arquimides said it seems there is a trend that animals with white markings on the legs or the face tend to be more “dairy-like” in terms of frame characteristics. The study is continuing to evaluate what producers are saying about animals with white markings. Do cattle with white markings truly tend to eat more to produce the same amount of beef?
Arquimides is also looking at the dairy production of the dam to measure butterfat content and see if there is any association with offspring marbling deposition and with calf growth performance.
The second study involves a collaboration with Dr. Joao Dorea at the University of Wisconsin—Madison where Arquimides is utilizing artificial intelligence and ultrasounds to create an algorithm to optimize the feeding and slaughter times for livestock.
Arquimides said the great thing about teaching at UWRF is the ability to advise students on their classes and their career choices throughout the year.
“That ability to connect with students at that level produces what I think are better students and better relationships with the students and the faculty,” Arquimides said.
Arquimides also coaches the UWRF meat evaluation team and assists students with managing the school beef cattle herd through the UWRF Beef Management Team. Currently, the university has 40 registered Herefords and Angus where students assist with genetic selection.
“Through these things, I’ve been able to help students and I feel proud of saying they are going to help the livestock industry and do great things in the future,” Arquimides said.
In addition to working and teaching at UWRF, he is a Wisconsin Cattlemen’s Association member and a volunteer firefighter to give back to his community.
Arquimides said that after being a DACA kid and in the program for 20 years, he received word that he should receive his green card by the end of the summer.
“I’m hoping to have achieved that dream of being a resident of this country and being considered a little bit more than I’ve been in the past,” Arquimides said. — Charles Wallace, WLJ editor
