Considering a career in dairy?
Made your mind up to go into dairy, and want to pursue college, but not interested in a four-year program right now?
We've outlined a few options to give you a flavor of what's available for teens considering a career in dairy.
The PRO-DAIRY Youth Program at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, provides opportunities for young people to learn about careers in the dairy industry through educational programming, as well as hands-on opportunities, and helps them to develop their interest, enthusiasm, knowledge and leadership skills necessary for creating a successful career in the dairy industry.
NYS Junior DAIRY LEADER Program
— this one-year program explores careers in the dairy industry along with hands-on experiential learning for a select group of youth ranging from 16 to 19 years old. The program presents youth with a realistic view and experience for the dairy industry as a viable, profitable and progressive business sector young people can look to for career opportunities while also building personal and professional skills.
NYS Dairy Discovery Workshop — this hands-on workshop is held annually at Cornell in late March. Each year 60 to 70 youth between the ages of 14 and19 spend one and a half days on campus learning about dairy careers and rotating through a series of hands-on workshops, which focus on a specific aspect of the dairy field and production management.
Dairy Focus for New York State 4-H Career Exploration Program
— Participants between the ages of 15 and 19 will have the opportunity during this three-day program to learn more about the dairy industry and careers;
build personal and professional skills; and develop a positive attitude about the dairy industry. In this program, youth are involved in the hands-on learning of skills and knowledge in the areas of veterinary science, dairy nutrition and production management. This program is a great opportunity for youth to explore the vibrant dairy sector with veterinarians or dairy nutritionists as mentors, while connecting with Cornell University.
The University of Wisconsin's Farm and Industry Short Course program might be a wise alternative to a four-year college degree program. The Farm and Industry Short Course is a 15-week educational program uniquely designed to prepare students for a career in dairy as well as other careers in agriculture. You do not need to specialize or major in any particular area and can choose those courses that are of greatest interest and value to you.
However, if you wish to focus on a specific topic, six
are offered, one of which is dairy.
The Dairy Science Associate Degree program offered by Northcentral Technical College near Wausau, Wisconsin, provides a well-rounded, real-world understanding of the business of dairy production. The agriculture classes are taught at the Agriculture Center of Excellence, which houses a production dairy farm operation. Throughout the program, students are participating in a variety of activities at the farm. Classroom instruction is combined with hands-on learning opportunities to expose students to a wide-range of farming practices. In addition, students will complete two internship work experiences.
