Program offers hands-on dairy experience

David Volleman grew up on a dairy farm in the Texas hillcountry and decided to pursue a career in the dairy industry in high school.

Courtesy photo: Robert Hagevoort

Students of the 2012 Southern Great Plains Dairy Consortium Teaching class receive a lecture on dairy ration evaluation Wednesday at a local dairy.

"I like being out in the country with the cows," said Volleman, a senior at Texas A&M University working on his bachelor's degree in dairy science. "Dairies are more like a lifestyle to me and not just a job.

To work toward his career goal of owning and managing his own dairy, Volleman is attending a six-week dairy intensive program at Clovis Community College, which his instructor said is the only class of its kind in the country.

The Southern Great Plains Dairy Consortium Teaching program is a multistate effort that focuses on classroom education complemented by hands-on training on dairies.

The program started five years ago when a large percentage of land grant universities in the Southwest shut down their dairies due to a decreasing emphasis and less funding for agricultural projects and programs, according to Robert Hagevoort, dairy extension specialist for New Mexico State University.

"It was very hard to teach students hands-on dairy science without a dairy," said Hagevoort, who is involved with the project through Eastern New Mexico University.

"There was a decreased emphasis on agricultural programs at these universities but at the same time we had an increase in the dairy industry in the Southwest."

Hagevoort attributed the increase in the region's dairy industry to cows' preference for the dry land and climate of the Southwest. Students from all over the nation register for the credit course at their home university.

Students started the course May 14.

According to Hagevoort, this year's class has students from Alaska, Puerto Rico, Washington, Florida, New Jersey and California.

Students receive four hours of classroom training and four hours of hands-on training at a local dairy Monday through Friday. The class takes a field trip on Saturdays to the Southwest Cheese Plant or to a local feed plant.

Hagevoort said students visit 20 to 30 dairies during the class. He said the dairies range in age, size, design, parlors, styles of management and breeds of cattle. The program is based in Clovis because of the large number of dairies close by.

"The strength of our program is getting these students from the classroom to a practical situation in a short period of time," Hagevoort said.

"We don't have to drive three hours to get somewhere. We can go to 20, 30, 40 different dairies within 20, 30, 40 minutes."

Hagevoort said the program focuses on large herd dairy management and open lot dairies, which are common in the area.

Volleman attended the program two years ago and returned to complete his second session this summer.

"My favorite part is being able to apply the knowledge, going to visit dairies almost everyday, talking to producers and seeing real life examples," Volleman said.