Dr. Aaron Gaines was raised in Northeast Missouri and completed his Bachelors, Masters, and Doctorate degrees at the University of Missouri-Columbia. He joined The Maschhoffs in March of 2007 and was previously with Professional Swine Management, LLC and JBS United, Inc.

Dr. Gaines has authored or co-authored 15 peer-reviewed scientific journal articles, 65 abstracts, and has been an invited speaker at 16 seminars both nationally and internationally. He has received numerous awards and recognitions for his research including the 2002 National Pork Board Innovation in Applied Research Award; 2002 Omega Protein Innovative Research Award; 2005 Omega Protein Innovative Research Award; and the 2005 International Ingredients Pinnacle Research Award. Aaron and his wife, Selena, reside with their two children in Albers, Illinois.