Dr. Holzgraefe earned a B.S. in Agricultural Science, a M.S. in Ruminant Nutrition (Jesse Hackett fellow), and a Ph.D. in Nonruminant Nutrition from the University of Illinois. He served on the faculty of the Department of Animal Sciences, University of Illinois (1980-1984) and in various research capacities with Farmland Industries, Inc., (1984-1994), with primary responsibilities related to animal nutrition/feed processing technology research and evaluating emerging technologies for multiple agricultural applications.

In 1994, Dr. Holzgraefe joined MoorMans, Inc., as Senior Manager of Swine Research and was named Vice President of Research in 1998, following the acquisition of the Moorman Manufacturing Company, Inc., by the Archer Daniels Midland Co. His ADM responsibilities focused on leading the animal nutrition and feed technology research program for ADM Alliance Nutrition, Inc., including new applications and product development initiatives with multiple ADM business units. These initiatives included developing strategic alliances with allied industries and university faculty to facilitate technology commercialization and encourage professional development opportunities for research colleagues.

In 2015, Dr. Holzgraefe established Holzgraefe Innovative Services, LLC to provide innovative consulting services to individuals and businesses producing and/or using agricultural-based products. This initiative will include identifying channels to successfully commercialize technologies for new applications that will add value to agricultural commodities/specialty ingredients and meet identified consumer needs.