About Payton Dahmer

Education:

B.S, Kansas State University, 2019
M.S., Kansas State University, 2020
Ph.D. , Kansas State University, 2023

Bio Brief:

Dr. Payton Dahmer grew up on a small farm in Nevada, Missouri, where his family raised and exhibited all species of livestock across the country. He earned his associate degree from Butler Community College in 2017, where he was a member of the nationally recognized Livestock Judging Team that won multiple national contests and was named Team of the Year. He then transferred to Kansas State University to complete his B.S. in Animal Sciences and Industry, competing on the 2018 Reserve National Champion Livestock Judging Team and the 2018 National Champion Meat Animal Evaluation Team. He was recognized as a member of both the 2017 All-American Junior College Team and the 2018 All-American Senior College Team and received the prestigious F.W. Bell Award.

Following his undergraduate education, Dahmer earned both his M.S. and Ph.D. in Animal Sciences and Industry at Kansas State University. During graduate school, he served as assistant coach for the K-State Livestock Judging Team, helped lead the program to the 2019 Reserve National Championship and the 2020 National Championship, managed the K-State Sheep and Meat Goat Center, and gained teaching and research experience across multiple livestock species.

Today, Dahmer serves as an Instructor of Animal Sciences and Industry at Kansas State University, where he coaches the nationally recognized Livestock Judging Team and co-coaches the Meat Animal Evaluation Team. Under his leadership, the Livestock Judging Team captured the 2024 National Championship and the 2025 Reserve National Championship while producing six Academic All-Americans—the most of any institution during that span. He also helped coach the Meat Animal Evaluation Team to National Championships in 2024 and 2026, along with a Reserve National Championship in 2025. In addition to coaching, Dahmer serves as faculty supervisor of the K-State Sheep and Meat Goat Center.

Dahmer teaches undergraduate and graduate courses including Domestic Animal Nutrition (ASI 202), Principles of Livestock Selection (ASI 390), Form and Function in Livestock (ASI 470), Online Sheep and Meat Goat Science (ASI 524ZA), Lambing (ASI 404), Undergraduate Research (ASI 560), and Advanced Meat Animal Evaluation (ASI 662). He also serves as an academic advisor and faculty mentor to undergraduate students while advising graduate students conducting research across multiple livestock species.

His teaching philosophy emphasizes experiential learning, student mentorship, and preparing graduates for successful careers in the livestock industry. He enjoys judging youth livestock shows and working with exhibitors, producers, and breeders across the country.