Bruce Richards grew up on a family Jersey farm and served as a missionary in Barcelona, Spain. He received a bachelor’s and master’s degree in Dairy Science from Utah State University, participating on the university’s first Dairy Challenge team. Upon completion of his master’s degree, he attended the University of Illinois, where he studied strategies to prevent fatty liver in dairy cows and obtained a PhD in Animal Science.
Brother Richards spent the next 11.5 years teaching Animal Nutrition and Dairy Science courses at Delaware Valley University in Doylestown, PA. While at Delaware Valley, Brother Richards coached the university’s Dairy Challenge team. In August of 2022 Brother Richards started at Utah State University as the Dairy Extension Specialist. When the opportunity came to return to the classroom and teach full-time at BYU-Idaho, Brother Richards took it starting in the fall of 2024. He teaches Dairy Production, Animal Nutrition, and other courses as needed, and coaches the BYUI Dairy Challenge team.