Abstract

Cornell Dairy Fellows program graduates agricultural professionals.

Issue

The dairy industry, the largest agricultural industry in the Northeast, needs more young people with the knowledge, skills and mind-set that are necessary to address the specialized careers in the industry.

Response

The Cornell Dairy Fellows program is designed for students who are interested in the dairy industry related careers. Approximately 140 students participate in the Fellows Program each year. The program intergrates a set of courses addressing the disciplines in the industry, industry and farm visits, in-depth farm analysis, seminars with industry leaders, industry conferences, exchange programs with Cal-Poly and Lincoln University in New Zealsand and summer internships in production, finance, nutrition and veterinary medicine. These experiences allow students to apply their knowledge, skills and mind-set in multiple real-life situations.

Impact

The Fellows Program encourages many students to enter careers in the dairy industry. Currently the Fellows Program is the largest dairy industry program in the country. The graduates of the Fellows Program become professionals in the diary industry by direct participation in industry related careers and leaders in various organizations. Seventy percent of the graduates enter production oriented careers compared to 20 percent at other land grant universities, 20 percent enter the finance and nutrition fields and 7 percent enter professional school programs (e.g., veterinary medicine, MS/PhD, MBA, law). The Northeast dairy industry has been enhanced by graduataes of this unique program.

Funding Sources

• Academic Programs Instructional Support (e.g., Institutional Challenge, Multicultural Scholars, Nat'l Needs, Hispanic Ed)
• Private (e.g., commodity groups, foundations, companies)

Key Personnel

• Terry Batchelder, Lecturer, Cornell University
• Michael VanAmburgh, Associate Professor, Cornell University