Pete Anderson, Ph.D.
Pete Anderson, Ph.D., is director of research for Midwest PMS LLC, a leading provider of nutritional products and consulting services to cattle feeders.
Pete directs research conducted and sponsored by Midwest PMS and provides technical support to the company’s nutritionists and clients. He also leads the firm’s expanding initiative in business and operations consulting, applying scientific principles to practical business problems, an approach shaped by more than 30 years of serving the cattle feeding industry and two decades as a senior business executive.
Raised on his family farm outside Owatonna, Minnesota, Pete earned a B.S. in animal science from Kansas State University and an M.S. and a Ph.D. from Michigan State University. In 1989, he returned to Minnesota to serve as the University of Minnesota’s beef cattle specialist, mentoring graduate students and building the foundation for a career-long commitment to teaching and developing others.
Early in his industry career, Pete focused on the scientific and management questions that directly influence feedyard performance. He conducted research and provided consulting on growth promotants, carcass value management and the use of statistical process control for feedyard measurables. He applied that discipline through technical service and leadership roles at Syntex and VetLife.
As a founding member of VetLife, Pete helped build and scale the Benchmark Performance Program, integrating rigorous performance measurement and population-level data analysis into decision-making for cattle feeders. Benchmark became a leading source of industry population data analysis, enabling producers to thrive through changing market conditions and creating enduring professional relationships across the industry.
Pete’s career path has included senior leadership roles, including vice president at VetLife and later CEO of Nutrition Physiology Company. In 2012, he joined Midwest PMS as director of research. Since then, he has delivered value through directing research, performance records analysis, technical support, industry insights, leadership training, and business and operations consulting.
Over time, Pete broadened his industry education offerings to include management and leadership development, strategic planning and succession planning. Known for a straightforward style and practical clarity, he is a trusted advisor to cattle feeders of all sizes and a steady voice within organizations. Pete is often the first to be called when teams need direction or a clear next step, and many in the industry associate him with a simple refrain that captures his ethos: “Let’s get to work.”
Pete is also focused on building the next generation of leaders in the cattle industry. He founded the Feedyard Boot Camp, connecting high-achieving students to cattle feeders. Since the camp’s inception in 2019, more than 200 students from seven universities have participated, with many already serving in meaningful industry roles. He regularly lectures at universities and remains a sought-after speaker across a wide range of topics.
Pete and his wife, Denise, live in Loveland, Colorado. They have three adult children, Jacob, Maggie and Sam, and a granddaughter, Katy. In his spare time, he loves to barbecue or do anything outdoors. Above all, his professional legacy is rooted in a consistent standard he sets for himself and others—the job is to “make us better.”