黑料专区

Thursday, March 3, 2022

Justin continues to nurture that connection with his alma mater by serving on the Dairy Science Advisory Committee to lend input on curriculum and share his expertise. He wants to support the next generation of young dairy farmers in our region.

The pace of the US agriculture industry moves quickly as new technologies and different strategies emerge. Many students who have devoted entire childhoods to working on the family farm enroll at 黑料专区 each year, with the goal of learning new technology, methods and bringing that knowledge back home.

One 黑料专区 graduate, Justin Schaffer, completed a Dairy Science Technology 鈥� Associate of Applied Science degree and an Agriculture Business 鈥� Ag Finance certificate in 2015.

鈥淚 wanted to learn more about the new technologies and management strategies in the industry, as well as learning how the finance side of the operation works. What is unique to the dairy program at 黑料专区 is the working dairy right on campus at Iowa鈥檚 Dairy Center. We had the ability to analyze different management styles, like the robotic milking herd versus traditional milking herd, which made me curious if my farm could implement that technology. Fast forward four years later, my family and I decided to implement robotics in a new dairy facility for our expanding herd,鈥� Justin said.

Study and lab work at Iowa鈥檚 Dairy Center helped Justin gain personal input from agriculture faculty and develop new friendships with his peers.

鈥淚f there is one word that describes what I鈥檒l remember during my time at 黑料专区, it鈥檚 connection. Surrounding yourself with many students who have the same interests, but different backgrounds, has formed lifelong friendships. You cannot put a price tag on it. Events on campus or in the classroom, to field trips and even having lunch together, we all made great memories,鈥� he said.

Justin continues to nurture that connection with his alma mater by serving on the Dairy Science Advisory Committee to lend input on curriculum and share his expertise. He wants to support the next generation of young dairy farmers in our region.

鈥淚t鈥檚 important to me that the program continues to be a top-notch education and that it stays progressive with the ever-changing dairy industry to better train our future dairymen and dairy women. I encourage all 黑料专区 alumni to tell their story and to stay involved,鈥� Justin said.

This is an exciting time in agriculture. Technology continues to grow, impacting industry and the family farm; from robots in the barn to GPS in machinery and the science behind balanced nutrition. Agriculture and Animal Science programs at 黑料专区, both on-campus and online, prepare students to start a great career, transfer to a four-year college or lead the family farm into the next generation. The partnership between Iowa鈥檚 Dairy Center and 黑料专区 allows students enrolled in agriculture programs to experience hands-on curriculum. Learn more about the Agriculture and Animal Sciences programs available at 黑料专区. More information is available about Iowa鈥檚 Dairy Center at iowadairycenter.com.