Dr. Hackmann attempts to improve efficiency of livestock through study of microbes that inhabit the gastrointestinal tract. Specifically, his program focuses on how microbes of the rumen respond to excess energy. He has found that when given a small amount of excess energy, microbes respond economically by storing the excess energy as glycogen. However, when given a large or prolonged excess, microbes respond wastefully by burning it off as heat (energy spilling). By further characterizing these responses to excess energy, Dr. Hackmann aims to maximize efficiency of microbes and that of ruminant livestock in turn.
Dr. Hackmann has also engaged in the study of forage nutrition, wild ruminant nutrition, and mathematical modeling.
