Category Archives: Livestock

Ag Business, Agriculture Careers, Equipment & Engineering, Field Trips-Tours, Livestock, Poultry

Last but not least: University of Delaware’s Research Farm

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As a pre-veterinary student I felt as though I knew all there was to know about the amazing research farm we have here on campus. Every semester so far I have had a few classes down on South campus and if I wasn’t directly on the farm for class, I got to smell it! Even though I had seen the dairy farm, Webb farm and the poultry houses prior to this field trip I learned so much about what goes on at each of these facilities. Scott Hopkins, University of Delaware’s farm superintendent, took us around and went in depth about experiments both successes and failures, different classes that are offered on the farm to target non-agriculture students, new technology that’s been included in each facility to help advance research, management practices and so much more! Even though it’s a close runner-up playing with the calves wasn’t my favorite part of this field trip. Scott Hopkins shared a ton of information with us about the research farm and I took a lot away from it that I can’t wait to share with others but if there was one thing overall that I took away from this trip is, there is always more to learn! I went into this field trip thinking I was going to know everything he talked about and I was pleasantly surprised. I found myself amazed with all of the new things I learned about the farm after the field trip was over! 

 

Equine/Horse, Field Trips-Tours, Livestock

UD Ag Farm

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During our visits to the UD Ag Farm we were fortunate enough to visits a variety amount of sites, such as where cows are milked, where the calfes are housed, horse barn, sheep barn, cattle pen, followed by a delicious treat at the UD Creamery. Scott Hopkins, the head director for UD’s Ag farm on the newark farm was who led us throughout the day, explaining in great detail at every stop we made. Some interesting facts about the farm include such things as the farm be 350 acres, 80-85 cows, calf’s are housed in small little houses for a certain amount of time, and also all the ice cream comes from the farm. After finishing the tour you could really sense that Scott is very passionate about what he does and that he cares about teaching young people, us, which is our country’s future. One of the best parts of the trip was the creamery, which was the best ice cream ive ever had, and I definitely intend on stopping in again.

Ag Business, Agriculture Careers, Equine/Horse, Livestock, Poultry, Production Agriculture

University of Delaware’s Research Farm

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On November 4th, my class had the privilege of meeting the University of Delaware’s Newark farms superintendent, Scott Hopkins, who led the tour for us. We started the tour with an introduction to the dairy herd that supplies us our beloved UDairy ice cream. Scott Hopkins explained that the dairy herd was the most difficult and time consuming livestock on the farm due to the amount labor, time and research that goes into the herd. I found it really interesting to see how feed studies were conducted on a herd within by the use of ID collars that would sync with a specific feed bin that granted that specific cow access to its feed. This practice helps to conclude that technology plays a major role in livestock production. We then moved onto the poultry section of the farm where he explained to us why there were so many small shed-like houses. These are used for testing immunology and virolity amongst small flocks of birds. I think that this field of research is so fascinating and important, especially since the poultry industry is huge to the Delmarva area.  Next, we ventured to Webb Farm where we learned about the beef management practices, equine practices, as well as the sheep practices. Currently, the farm is tracking estrous in the ewes and are monitoring breedings and whether or not the ewes take. They track this by recording which ewes have the color coded chalk on their backs – marking a mounting by the ram – and crossing the presence of chalk with their estrous cycles. Scott was very informational and provided a lot of insight into how much work really goes into running a successful farming operation. He was well versed and had a tremendously wide amount of knowledge. I learned a lot on this trip and I hope to continue learning more about management practices throughout my time here at the University of Delaware

Equine/Horse, Field Trips-Tours, Livestock

Newark Research Farm Fieldtrip

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On Saturday our class took the last field trip to the research farm at Newark. Scott Hopkins gave us a tour of the farm which had livestock such as cows, sheep, and horses, and also fields for vegetable production. He explained how they have a section they grow basically organic so that students can experience how much more work it is to produce organic crops. It was amazing to see how the cows were trained to eat at the same place everyday and all the tests they did on them. The horse barn was also interesting because they built it to make the horses feel more comfortable. The farm is roughly 350 acres split between all the different sections, it was very well maintained and pretty. Despite the very chilly and windy  weather, it was a great experience. Mr. Hopkins was very passionate about his job and easily connected with the students. He had so much knowledge about so many topics and was so easy to talk to. This field trip was a great way to end.

Agriculture Careers, Equine/Horse, Field Trips-Tours, Internships, Livestock

Newark Farm Tour

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This previous Saturday, I spent time at the University of Delaware farm. I was so intrigued to see how this farm is able to teach students hands-on techniques in a manner that is safe and understandable. I was so amazed at the fact that dairy cows are taught where they are to feed and they are smart enough to retain  that information and store it in their memories. I also really enjoyed how honest the farm manager was. He didn’t sugar-coat any type of information that we should know and made sure we knew to hold ourselves accountable for our actions. Walking through the farm was such a different experience than being on main campus. Everything is so calm, whereas main campus is always bustling. Seeing the mini versions of the chicken houses was also interesting, especially because we got to compare it to the full size version at Georgie’s farm. Overall, I very much enjoyed this field trip, especially the UDairy!

Classroom Materials, Equine/Horse, Field Trips-Tours, Livestock, Poultry

Newark Farm Tour

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Not only was this past Saturdays weather very cool, so was our field trip around the Newark farm. Scott Hopkins, the University of Delaware farm superintendent  gave us a fascinating tour of the Webb Farm.

We were fortunate enough to see the milking parlor and learn that dairy cows are the most challenging animal to care for on the farm. Growing up on my families dairy operation I was able to see and experience first hand how labor extensive taking care of dairy cows can be and understood greatly what Scott Hopkins was explaining.

Not only did we see the dairy operation but we saw the beef, sheep and equine facilities. The equine facility was rather new with a large classroom that was very versatile and could also be used a spot for more hands on learning such as artificial insemination, collecting semen or even having the option to do some horse therapy and therapeutic riding. We also learned about the extensive research projects being conducted, Mr. Hopkins favorite being forage research.

We ended our trip with a stop at UDairy creamery. This was for sure one of my favorite field trips because of all the research being done in such close proximity.

Agriculture Careers, Equine/Horse, Field Trips-Tours, Livestock, Poultry, Production Agriculture

Moo-ve out of the way crops, livestock is here to stay!

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This past Saturday (the 4th of November) was our last field trip, though I must say it was also my favorite. I think it was because it hits so close to home – we received a tour of our very own University of Delaware Newark farm led by the farm superintendent himself, Scott Hopkins!

After waiting for a good 15-20 minutes for our bus to arrive, Scott took matters into his own hands and started the tour on foot. We first went to the dairy farm and got to see the milking parlor, the cow feeding area and the building where the cows are kept, as well as a sneak peek at the baby cows! We received a brief rundown of the whole dairy operation – how the milking works, how the cows are fed, studies that are sometimes done on the cows, and a general overview on how the University of Delaware raises their livestock.

Eventually the bus caught up with us and took us down Farm lane to Webb farm. On the way there, we took a detour past the poultry houses where we learned what kind of research is done relating to chickens, and drove past the entomology center before arriving at our destination. We were then taken into the equine building, which is mostly used for equine science labs, but also doubles as a pretty convenient teaching room. One thing he told us while we were in the equine building that stood out to me was that horses have the ability to put their birthing on hold – if they are somehow uncomfortable or startled (whether it be from a class happening in the building or a train passing down the road) they can pause the process until they’re more relaxed and then continue as if nothing had happened! He told stories of students coming in to check on the horses, leaving for less than an hour, then coming back to a newborn foal! After this we took a brief look at the composting operation, then saw the barn where sheep are held. Mr. Hopkins briefly vented his frustrations about student workers who couldn’t seem to remember something as simple as closing a gate to make sure no animals got out, but quickly got back on track and told us all about sheep mating, using their wool for blankets, and the general care of the sheep. Last, but certainly not least, we were brought to the barn that houses the angus beef cattle. I never realized how curious animal’s cows are – while he was giving us an overview of their beef operation a cute group of three or four young cows made their way over to use to check us out and see what we were up to.

The trip ended back on south campus where Dr. Isaacs treated everyone in the class to their choice of sweets from UDairy, the University of Delaware’s creamery. Considering it didn’t get up past 50 degrees, many of us decided to get a comforting cup of hot chocolate or apple cider – myself included! This field trip was by far the most interesting one to me, mostly because many people don’t realize how much actual farming is done in the middle of Newark, DE, and being able to see it firsthand reinforced my decision of pursuing agriculture.

Ag Business, Ag Literacy & Social Media, Agriculture Careers, Equine/Horse, Equipment & Engineering, Livestock, Poultry, Precision Ag, Production Agriculture

UD WEBB Farm Field Trip

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Saturday’s field trip to Ud’s WEBB Farm was incredibly educational. I learned so much about my University that I did not know about after attending school here for three years. I had heard of Webb Farm before, but I had never been there before. I did not know that we had horses! I am very appreciative of the experience, even though it was a chilly day. I enjoyed seeing the baby cows, and learning about the AG technology that UD utilizes with their dairy cows. I did not realize how technologically advanced our farm is. I loved seeing where the cows get milked, and how the technology identifies each individual cow, and records all of their data automatically. I also was intrigued by the cows feeding system, and how they are trained to go to the same feeder every day. In addition to the dairy cows, we got to learn a lot about how UD maintains their chickens, horses, sheep, and beef cows. We learned a lot of very honest information in regards to farm management, and the challenges that technologic advances can present. We even were given access to view the compost section of the Farm, even though it is not as well developed as they would have liked it to be. As I was taking in the fall colors and scenery on the way to Webb Farm, we were informed that the trees we saw were all planted as a buffer. They are almost all native, and provide a variety of environmental benefits to the landscape surrounding the research farm. I was very happy to hear that, and it gave me a deeper appreciation of the landscape, knowing it’s impact on the environment! 

Classroom Materials, Equine/Horse, Livestock, Poultry, Production Agriculture, Topics for Discussion

UD Webb Farm Field Trip

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Although I was not able to attend the field trip this weekend, again due to vet school interviews and upcoming exams, I was able to get some information on it. After reading some posts and having my friends reiterate what happened, I find that the field trip was like a collection of all the knowledge I have gained through my ANFS classes.

The tour guide for the day talked about all the information we learn in the vast opportunities the farm offers UD students, such as volunteering, jobs, research, and labs. The guide talked about some of the feedstuffs. One of the most prominent ones being silages, which you can see being made in the silo bags around the farm. He also talked about the dairy cattle, who are a huge resource here for students. We learn how to milk cows properly, how to make ice, cream and about dietary research, typically dealing with the rumen.

Not only do we learn about dairy, but we learn about beef cattle when we are on the farm. They are not only important for learning about the beef industry, but in taking ANFS251, we learn about how to properly score the beef cattle on a range of 1-9. Another large animal we learn about are equines, or horses if you will. The horses here are a great learning opportunity, especially for scoring and behavior. Some of the ones we have at the UD farm are rescues or are too old to race any longer.

We also have sheep. My freshman year we learned a lot about sheep and how they act as a herd. We learned how they are flock animals and we have to herd them inside as such. Not only this but we learned how to separate them from the group as to trim the hooves (something I didn’t know was possible until coming to UD). One of the things I found interesting, that the guide retold, was how we can see if sheep have been mated using “crayons.” We check the females backends for coloring to see if the male had mated with her, as he has the coloration on his chest.

And one of the most notable forms of research, dealing with animals, on UD is chickens. Throughout the last semester, I often saw chickens being vaccinated and being tested. One of the places the students learned about on the trip was the poultry house and how we test for different variables and vaccines.

These are all really important aspects of the UD farm and wonderful opportunities. I am very thankful for all the wonderful teachers, and not just the ones you find in a classroom.

Ag Business, Ag Literacy & Social Media, Livestock, Photos & Scenery

Webb Farm Field Trip

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During the field trip the farm superintendent of University of Delaware, Scott Hopkins, gave the class a tour of the agricultural field’s mechanical devices, identified the poultry houses and how they are used for research, demonstrated another form of research students focus on for dairy cows regarding a controlled ration being fed, explained the high tunnel and it’s purposes in operating as organic even though it is not verified organic, etc…Additionally when we rode the bus to Webb Farm, the research farm for UD students, Mr. Hopkins took us into the equine building and we briefly discussed how the mares could easily stop giving birth if there was the slightest disturbance during this time such as a student talking while waiting. I personally enjoyed the part of the tour where Scott picked up a handful of the ration being fed to the dairy cattle in controlled research classes because it smelled nice- I believe the ration was a cut up hay forage. Next we moved on to the sheep which I felt was the coolest part of the research farm because I’ve taken classes and learned about equine, poultry, beef and dairy cattle, but learned very little about sheep over my time at UD. During this part of the field trip, Mr. Hopkins talked about the male sheep having a device attached to his body that would spray paint on the back end of the females he would mount in order to check if the population was successfully impregnated. I found this interesting because he would change the color of the paint after a number of days which demonstrated if the first round of sperm was a hit or miss- if the first round impregnated the sheep, it would not have the new paint color demonstrating that the first attempt did not work.

Next we looked at the black Angus beef cattle in which Mr. Hopkins talked about the factors that come into consideration when he decides whether or not to cull a cow. For instance, if a cow decides it no longer wanted to mother a calf, he would remind this cow of it’s protective instinct to protect the cow, as a second chance before considering culling. Also, he briefly mentioned why the bulls were castrated before slaughter and why this was important for a consumer point of view. The reason being that a bull produces testosterone and when the bull is being slaughtered for it’s meat, the stress is shown in the meat because testosterone is produced which causes the color of the meat to turn into a dark blood red color, which is not favorable to consumers when they purchase the final product. I also learned that UDairy Creamery sells the meat that was raised on Webb farm, which is pretty cool because consumers of this generation care about factors such as how their food was raised by the farmer and what went into the process of making their product. Overall, this was a fun field trip and I learned a little more about how the animals are raised than I knew before.

Livestock

Guest Lecture Dan Severson

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Growing up I have always showed animals at the Delaware State Fair, the most interesting thing I learned during this lecture had to be the fact that when judges at the fair are judging animals, in some species, the judge high lights certain characteristics of an animal and those traits are not desirable when trying to produce these animals on a large scale. Mr. Severson proceeded to highlight the main production animals in the state of Delaware and what traits growers desire while raising these animals.

Livestock

An Overview in the Livestock Industry in DE

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Dan Severson came to our class and shared a presentation reviewing statistics of Delaware farming today. In these slides we learned that approximately 96% of farms owned today are family owned and represent 87% of all agricultural value generated. As we progressed into the livestock portion of the presentation Dan quickly stated that since 1950 food production in the U.S. is 260% times better, he also noted that WWI caused many younger farmers to choose different careers. From there we discussed the average annual per capita consumption of meat. Beef being the number one consume meat in the U.S. and poultry standing as the number one consumed meat in Delaware. We also learned that here in the U.S. we have some the most affordable food costs in the World! Not to mention the safest and most abundant of food sources as well. Dan also reviewed the different livestock in Delaware and how each are individually used. We learned that hogs are not very popular in Delaware as they once were. Sheep are used for mostly show and genetics. Goat for their meat and that the amount of diary farms in Delaware has decreased but the number of dairy cows remains consistent. I especially enjoyed learning about the different species of animals used in Delaware and how they are most allocated throughout the state.

Equine/Horse, Livestock

UD Farm Field Trip

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Our fourth and final field trip consisted of a short trip the the various farms run by the University of Delaware. Scott Hopkins who has worked at the University for many years was our guide for the day. Our first stop was at Webb farm where we stopped and visited the Equine building, which was currently empty as we learned the horses spend most of their time during the day grazing rather than being in their pens. I found it interesting how female horses can control child birth so freely and how the horse has progressively moved towards the title of companion along those of cats and dogs. After, we breifly visited the sheep and lambs as they mostly ate and chose to ignore our presence. After the visit to Webb farm we made our way over to UD’s dairy farm. Here we learned how dairy cows are trained to eat out of certain feed bins specifically for them. At the the end of the trip we were treated with ice cream from our very own UD creamery.

empty stable shown here as we learned about how the horses spend their time grazing
empty stable shown here as we learned about how the horses spend their time grazing
Ag Business, Field Trips-Tours, Livestock

Newark Farm Trip

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The last field trip from our Delaware Agriculture class was the tour of the 350 acre Newark farm.  This was by far the most interesting and exciting trip we have been on and I truly enjoyed it.  We explored all of the different animals and research experiments on the farm and learned a great deal about them.  It was explained to us that the horses are the most challenging animal to take care of on the farm simply because they are very temperamental.  Also, a great challenge to keep the farm running smoothly is the constant maintaining of the land and its resources.  Resource rich farm lands are rapidly being sold off to developers and it is a constant struggle to keep our farm lands safe and resource rich.  As a fight against this increasing loss of farm lands, University of Delaware has recently implemented a variety of research experiments dealing with entomology and wildlife conservation.  New and exciting research is being conducted every day at the Newark farm to ensure the growth of many species, such as honey bees.  One of the most interesting aspects of the Newark farm trip was when we took a tour of the farms milk pasteurizing center, I had never seen or been in a room set up for milking before and it was quite the experience.  I am very happy to have taken a tour of the blue hen farm and I’m very excited to be up there participating in new research experiments next year!

Livestock

Dan Severson and the Livestock Industry

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Dan Severson, New Castle’s County Extension Agent, came to class to speak to us about the Livestock Industry in Delaware.  He gave us an overview of Delaware Farms and we learned that Delaware ranks first in the U.S. in the value of agriculture production per acre.  Most farms are family owned and 2% of the US population is involved in farming.  The U.S. has the most affordable, safest, and abundant food compared to other parts of the world.  Dan went over the different livestock in Delaware and what they are used for.  We learned that Beef is the meat with the largest annual per capita consumption.  Sheep are used mostly for genetics and show, along with their wool, hair, and milk.  Goats are used for mostly for meat and milk.  We learned that dairy cows have become more efficient in producing milk.  The number of dairy farms have decreased but the number of dairy cows have stayed the same in Delaware.  I enjoyed learning about the animal side to Delaware agriculture.