(Morrisville, NY – June 2013) The campus of Morrisville State College was home to 4-H youth from across the state for a weekend of “life as a college student” during Equine and Dairy 101 4-H Camp. The camp, held June 8 and 9 gave 4-H youth ages 13-19 a chance to learn more about the Equine and Dairy industry, career options in the field, and educational opportunities offered at the college. All “courses” were taught by the equine and dairy faculty and staff of Morrisville State College (MSC), as well as veterinarians from Leatherstocking Veterinary Service in New Berlin.
The program began with guest speaker Halil Ulukaya, Chief Operating Officer of Chobani. Ulukaya spoke to the youth about making dreams come true by taking a simple idea and working to perfect and market that idea.
Many hands on activities were provided for the youth as they followed either the Dairy tract or the Equine tract. Dairy students were allowed to participate in the herd health check, evaluate rumen bugs under the microscope, learn about the digestive tract of the cow via the fistulated cow, and calf and heifer growth. Following their indepth workshops, the group headed off campus to tour several different types of dairy’s: Collins-Knoll Farm with their specialized automatic calf feeding system, Curtin Brothers Farm with a rotary parlor and large scale efficiencies, and Tayl-Wind Farm where robots milked the cows and computer output was readily available for each animal.
Equine students were given the opportunity for hands on activities through the English, Western, Draft, and Racing tracts at MSC. Youth were given the opportunity to view ultrasounds of mares at different stages of pregnancy, they evaluated sperm mobility under the microscope, they were taught forage testing, drove the Belgian draft horses, rode with the Standardbred racehorses, applied poultice to Thoroughbred racehorses, were taught lunge line techniques, and much more!
For more information on this and other programs offered by Cornell Cooperative Extension of Herkimer County, please call 866-7920.