Animal Science: CREAM 1

The first of a two-course sequence. Students perform the work and make the financial and management decisions associated with the CREAM dairy herd. Prerequisites: ASCI 1000 or Instructor permission.

Instructor permission required; Prereqs enforced by system: ASCI 1000; PACE students by permission and override.

Students are fully responsible for the daily care of the UVMCREAMherdincluding milking, cleaning, feeding calves, and giving medical treatments. Our lactating cows get milked 3 times per day: the first starting at 3:30am, next at 11:30am, and lastly at 7:30pm. Students will milk cows, feed calves, and clean and rebed stalls on every chore as well as give any medical treatments needed under the advice of our herd manager and faculty advisor. Each CREAM student will complete 3-4 chores per week, with one always being a 3:30am chore. In addition to weekly chores, students are responsible for assisting in the calving process including newborn calf and fresh cow care, as well as other routine care such as vaccinations, estrous cycle synching, and cow cleanliness. Each student is assigned an area of expertise on the farm and is responsible for keeping the group updated on that specific topic.

CREAM Core Competencies Spring 2026 *Material will be taught in the classroom and then you will be expected to go out and learn the practical way they are done through committee work Ovsynch • Be able to demonstrate how to give hormone shots. Explain the purpose of each hormone • Show how to enroll heifers and fresh cows in our pre-synch program, at about 1 year and 1 month for heifers or about 30 days for fresh cows • Show the process of inserting CIDR in heifers in arena. o Describe the estrous cycle of cows and where/how to notify others that cows need to be bred. Know the communication method to notify others about cows possibly coming into heat at the beginning of each week so CREAMers can look for those cows showing signs of heat. • Provide evidence that you know how the breeding wheel is used, and how to update it (quizzable) PC Dart • Demonstrate that you know how to enter the following data into PCDart o When cows calve/enter new heifers o Input treatment information o Input dry-off dates o Input cows that left the herd (and why) o Transfer any new animals into herd o Input vaccinations • Be able to explain how to register calves when they are born • Demonstrate how to retrieve pertinent data about the individual cows o Sire/dam information o Treatment history o Breeding status/ preg status Vaccinations • Show how to administer vaccinations to all cows, heifers, and calves. • Describe the vaccines being used, what diseases they cover, route of administration, dose interval, cohort to be vaccinated. • Demonstrate that you know how to administer IV, IM, SQ and oral treatments Vet Liaison • Attend vet-check and learn how to identify an ovary and a uterine horn on ultrasound • Complete a round one week with farm veterinarian • Be present at other vet calls outside of the bi-weekly vet checks • Describe what constitutes a medical emergency on the dairy. • Be able to provide a complete history, treatments and any physical exam findings (ex. temp) on sick cows for the veterinarian. • Provide weekly updates on herd health issues at the Thursday meeting. Provide text message updates on any vet calls. • Know all treatment protocols and reasons for treatment choices. (quizzable) • Demonstrate that you know how to administer IV, IM, SQ and oral treatments Nutrition Liaison • Describe the role of the Poulin Grain Representative and how that affects our herd including how she takes feed samples, where they are processed, how she formulates a ration for the different groups of animals on the farm.(feed bunk management) • Show your understanding of the process of harvesting hay, haylage and corn silage, the transportation of forages from the field, packing process and ensiling methods used on dairy farms. • Describe how to monitor refusals and feed intake changes. • Describe the process used to test dry matter percent of TMR and forages • Be able to describe what goes into our TMR and how it is affected seasonally • Show how to monitor milk production on the herd level using Delpro software • Show how to manage and update top dress sheets as often as fresh cows arrive/leave the barn and on a regular basis • Demonstrate your understanding of how to Body Condition Score transition cows (2 weeks due from calving to 2 weeks fresh for scoring) and other animals to critically analyze the effectiveness of feed protocol • Describe how to monitor colostrum management to ensure calves are getting the correct nutrition (how is this done, be specific, for example - test colostrum using the refractometer and record in appropriate location) (quizzable) • Know how to use a Penn State shaker box for feed analysis Udder Health Liaison The teaching dairy will be milked 3 times a day on a schedule that will be determined at the beginning of the semester based up the availability of students and advisors. • Show how to sample cows with high SCC/ potential mastitis per sampling protocol • Show how to record treatments for mastitis cows. • Describe the role of antibiotics and how they affect mastitis • Describe the basic milking protocol for any dairy (cleaning teats, fore-stripping, stimulation, pre-dip, unit application, unit removal, post dip, cow handling, etc) • Analyze the DHIA sheet each month, specifically the linear somatic cell score, to look for cows who may have chronic subclinical mastitis and sample those cows accordingly • Know how to maintain and run the PCR machine. • Know how to plate, incubate, and interpret results from milk samples • Show how to run a CMT Calf/Heifer-Fitter • Weigh heifers once every two months and chart to monitor growth. • Describe the principles of halter training heifers and calves. • Attend a dehorning and ear tagging day. Demonstrate how to perform a cornual nerve block. • Be aware of when calves/heifers will be moved and be available to assist. • Show how to obtain tissue samples from newborn heifer calves for genomic analysis. • Show how to draw blood from calves. • Describe how to tube feed a calf. Cow Fitter • Maintain the cleanliness of the cows • Cleans and braids tails that are in need of cleaning • Routinely clip cows and heifers • Attends bath days • Organizes and keeps up with the paperwork for each cow and makes sure it ends up in their file Total Protein on calves • Demonstrate drawing blood from calves and correct use of centrifuge and refractometer • Understand the importance of passive transfer of immunity • Understand the measurable quantity of passive transfer of immunity • Make adjustments to colostrum protocols based upon results Outreach/Media • Schedule speakers for in-class presentations • Demonstrate professional communication with speakers and incoming creamers • Demonstrate proficiency in advertising of the program and farm on social media

Grading: CREAM students will earn 4 credits per semester. Peer Evaluations: 15% Two peer evaluations will be completed using a standardized rubric. Mentor Evaluations: 25% To be conducted by Dr. Wadsworth and farm staff using the same standardized rubric based on participation in meeting, lecture and demonstration of the core competencies as outlined below. This will be performed at the end of the semester. Attendance: 30% Attendance and participation in class, meetings, chores, and extra activities such as calvings, IACUC preparations, herd classification, etc. Reflection Journal and Work Log 30% Grade will be based upon weekly entries, quality of writing, and extent of participation in CREAM activities. Expectations One of the purposes of this portion of the course is to provide the opportunity to “imbed” your CREAM experiences in a deeper part of your brain by using written expression as a tool. If you are able to write about an experience, the impact of that experience becomes more profound and meaningful. Journal writing assignments can benefit students by enhancing reflection, facilitating critical thought, expressing feelings, and writing focused arguments. Entries will be made weekly and will include: 1. At least two paragraphs of well-written, thoughtful reflections that might include: ● new skills learned ● Your growing understanding of the dairy industry ● new concepts presented ● feelings on being a part of a larger community ● reflections on teamwork ● thoughts on the emotional journey of working with sentient beings (cows!) ● thoughts about integrating your previous learning experiences with CREAM ● emotional awakening moments ● reflections on physical work as an inner meditation ● Discussion of conflicts within the community and constructive thoughts on their resolution. 2. A log of the CREAM activities you participated in during the previous days.