Isabella Johnson started working in the dairy industry in high school, leading her towards her decision to attend Delaware Valley University where she studies Dairy Science. As a rising senior, she has had opportunities to explore her interests within dairy farming. She spent a previous summer breeding cows throughout the Northeastern states. Looking towards graduation, she was searching for an internship that would help her strengthen those skills and learn how to expand her knowledge for herd management. With those goals in mind, Isabella decided to complete an on-farm internship at Schrack Farms in Loganton, Pennsylvania this summer.
“I think I was paired with this farm because I wanted to experience a larger herd size than I was used to,” Isabella said. “I wanted a lot of herd management experience, which is what I spend my days doing here.”
Isabella has taken an interest in the reproduction side of management, and the farm has allowed her to manage all breeding for the summer. Every morning, she makes sort lists for the milk cows for breeding, health checks, and shots. Depending on the day, she will follow up with the cows she programmed, dry off cows, give shots, breed, or assist with vet check.
“My favorite day is vet check day,” Isabella shares. “It’s the busiest day of the week. There is a lot going on and a lot for me to help with. It’s also the day I get to see how I did breeding that group.”
In addition to her daily responsibilities, each intern completes their own research project throughout the summer. Schrack Farms put in an SCR (cow monitoring) system recently, and Isabella is comparing their current data to the data they had prior to having the system installed. She is tracking their conception rate, pregnancy rate, and fresh cow health metrics as well as comparing her own metrics from the summer. Measuring this data will hopefully prove the investment is a positive one for the farm.
By broadening her on-farm skills and knowledge this summer, Isabella has been able to confirm that her studies and experience align with her future career path.
“This internship helped to solidify my future career,” Isabella said. “I like being on the farm and being able to breed cows, but also being involved with different tasks every day. I would definitely look to take a herd management position in the future.”
The Dairy Excellence Foundation, the Professional Dairy Managers of Pennsylvania, and the Pennsylvania Dairymen’s Association provide $3,000 grants to support the on-farm internship program each summer. Learn more.