DAS Students Get Close-up View of Agriculture

This year, the tour took place on August 30 and included Maple Lawn
Associates Poultry and Egg operation in McAlisterville; the Pennsylvania
Veterinary Laboratory in Harrisburg; Hempt Farms, home of the Keystone
Standardbreds, in Mechanicsburg; and Brymesser Dairy in Boiling Springs.

Forty-one students majoring in animal sciences who are new to Penn State's University Park Campus participated in the 2007 New Student Industry Tour and were treated to in-depth views of Pennsylvania's diverse agricultural industry.

Intended to expose students to the breadth of animal agriculture in the Commonwealth, the annual tour, now in its ninth year, has become a valued addition to first week classes, introducing students to a wide view of agriculture while providing an opportunity to get to know faculty and their fellow students in an informal setting. Ten faculty members participated in this year's tour in south central Pennsylvania.

Terry Etherton, Head of the Department of Dairy and Animal Science, said, "This tour has become a highlight for incoming freshmen and those transferring to University Park from other campuses. It is an outstanding way for them to get to know faculty and classmates, and we find it offers strong motivation as they consider course and career options.

"With more and more animal sciences majors coming from non-farm backgrounds, the tour has become more valuable as a learning tool helping create an understanding of animal science as it relates to food production and the larger agricultural industry," he said.

Etherton added that the Department is especially appreciative of the hospitality extended by the hosts, who welcome the students and create an atmosphere which fosters direct and engaging conversations.

Ciara Kishok, Canfield, OH, said, "The industry tour was very interesting and helpful because it really opened my eyes to all of the career possibilities that I have with a degree in Animal Sciences."

While Ryan Fairbairn, Coatesville, PA, found all the tour sites interesting, he said the visit to the poultry farm was most outstanding. He added, "This tour was great because it helped me to get to know my fellow classmates and faculty members. It was a great way to start out the Penn State year as a student majoring in Animal Sciences.

Sites included in the day-long tour were:

• Maple Lawn Associates, McAlisterville, which produces fertile eggs to be used for the production of human influenza vaccine and human pandemic H5N1 vaccine. They also have a crop farming operation.
• Pennsylvania Veterinary Laboratory, PDA, Harrisburg, where students toured the state-of-the-art facility and learned about testing for regulatory programs, export testing, pathology services, microbiology, parasitology, mycotoxicology and serology.
• Hempt Farms, Mechanicsburg, home of the Keystone Standardbreds. Hempt Farms has been in the Standardbred breeding business for more that 60 years, with 100 head of horses housed at the farm.
• Brymesser Dairy, Boiling Springs, a dairy operation with over 250 Holsteins and 240 replacements which has topped Cumberland County's DHIA list for the past eight years, currently producing 26,036 lbs. per cow per year.

At the lunch break, students interacted with Chad Cash, retail business manager, Land O'Lakes and Kevin Brightbill, large animal veterinarian, Millersville Vet Associates, who gave their perspectives on career opportunities in their respective fields.