Key Dairy Activities:

1. Farm Animal Days
2. Animal Science "Club Day" Livestock Show
3. Food Animal Scholars Program

Student Statistics:

Dairy Science major: No
Dairy Option: No
# Dairy Science Students: 0
# Animal Science/Dairy: N/A
# Students intending to pursue a dairy career: N/A
Percent going to vet school: N/A
Percent in ag research: N/A
Percent of dairy grads entering the industry: N/A
Percent going back to home farm: N/A
Average salary: N/A

Dairy Herd Information:

# cows: Two herds, one with 180
Breed(s): Holstein and Jersey
Student labor: Yes
Used for research: Yes

Course Work:

Internship required for graduation: No
Assistance finding jobs or agriculture internships: Yes
Opportunities to work on dairy farms while attending school: Yes
Courses: Animal Science (nutrition, genetics, reproduction; beef cattle, dairy cattle, swine, sheep, goats, companion animals, laboratory animals, horses); Agricultural Business; Food, Bioprocessing, and Nutrition Science (includes dairy processing); Poultry Science; Microbiology; pre-vet; forages; crops; soils; waste management; etc. Credit can also be earned for special topics in dairy-related experiences including undergraduate research and supervised internship.

Travel Opportunities:

Students participate in 1-day dairy tours in fall and spring. Students also participate in SAD-ADSA regionally and nationally, as well as regional and national Dairy Challenge. Dairy-interested students assist with a milking booth at NC State Fair as well as with various youth and open dairy show activities at the fair. They also assist with two state/regional Holstein shows/sales each year. There have been a few students who participated in international internships. They are planned based on an individual student’s interests.

Additional Information:

NCSU herd is just 7 miles from main campus. Two other research herds (NCDA) off campus. Other research herds include 1) ~150 Holsteins; and 2) ~180 cows of Holstein, Jersey, and H x J crosses.
The New Dairy Enterprise approach at NC State University will provide a unique opportunity for dairy-interest students as well as students with a food science perspective to participate in the pre- and post- harvest technologies. Students will be provided with hands-on experience at the Dairy Teaching Farm with training in management practices, reproductive strategies and nutritional approaches for optimal animal performance and well being. Students will also have an opportunity to observe the post-harvest aspects of dairy production at the creamery located in the Department of Food, Bioprocessing, and Nutrition Sciences.
The NC State Food Animal Scholars Program is an arrangement between the Department of Animal Science and the College of Veterinary Medicine to identify outstanding undergraduate students with interests in dairy and other food animals and to facilitate their entry into veterinary medicine.
NC State undergraduates have participated in internships at various in-state and out-of-state research sites (e.g. Land O’Lakes Purina Feed; NCSU Center for Environmental Farming Systems, and Miner Institute). In fact, NC State students have been selected 4 of the past 5 years by Land O’Lakes Purina Feed, LLC for an internationally competitive intern position in ruminant nutrition at the Long View Animal Nutrition Center in Gray Summit, Missouri. In addition to research-based internships, several students each year get opportunities to participate in internships on commercial dairy farms, with veterinary practices, and with other dairy-related agribusinesses.

Return to 4 Year College Listings