Dairy Science . . .
is the
application of genetics,
physiology, nutrition, economics,
and other supporting disciplines to:
the production, health, and management
of dairy cattle; the production
of high-quality milk; and the operation
of dairy farm enterprises as
financially profitable and environmentally
responsible businesses.
Department of Animal and Food Science
247 Agricultural Science
(715) 425-3704
Undergraduate Catalog
Goals and Objectives
- to provide quality instruction to students in basic animal science and applied principles of
equine production and management
- to help students develop skills for discovering, evaluating, and adapting scientific information
and technology throughout their careers
- to enhance students’ abilities to communicate effectively
- to engage students in the application of scientific principles to problem-solving in a real-world
setting.
Program
The following core courses are required in the major:
DASC 120 Orientation to Dairy Science
ANSC 231 Principles of Nutrition
ANSC 232 Applied Feeds and Feeding
ANSC 257 Genetics
ANSC 260 Animal Physiology
DASC 306 Dairy Production
ANSC 345 Animal Health
ANSC 346 Principles of Animal Breeding
DASC 404 Lactation and Milk Quality
DASC 406 Advanced Dairy Management
ANSC 433 Advanced Nutrition or DASC 436 Dairy Cattle Nutrition
ANSC 448 Physiology of Reproduction
DASC 485 Seminar in Dairy Science
Faculty
The animal and food science department offers majors in animal science-equine
emphasis, animal science-meat animal emphasis, animal science-veterinary technology emphasis,
dairy science, and food science. The faculty and staff consists of fourteen full-time members
with specific expertise in various animal science disciplines including nutrition, reproduction,
genetics, breeding, physiology, animal health, livestock management, and meat and dairy products.
In addition the faculty has a broad base of experience with all common production animal
species. Two of the current faculty members have won the campus-wide “Distinguished Teacher
of the Year” award.
Facilities
The College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences maintains two laboratory
teaching farms which are heavily used for course work by the animal science faculty.
These farms include dairy, beef, swine, sheep, poultry, and equine enterprises. In addition the
animal and food science department operates an on-campus dairy processing plant and a fully
equipped meat laboratory with slaughter, cutting, and processing facilities.
Career Opportunities
- dairy herd manager/owner
- nutrition consultant/representative
- dairy cattle classifier
- dairy mating specialist
- dairy sire analyst
- dairy records association manager
- breed association
representative
- milk plant field representative
- milk inspector
- milking equipment representative
- pharmaceutical sales
- public relations specialist
- research assistant
- extension
youth specialist
- agricultural extension agent
- agricultural journalist
- agricultural loan officer
Most of these positions offer significant and early opportunity for advancement. The demand for personnel is consistently high in all the above areas. In addition the Dairy Science-Science Option prepares students for entry into either graduate school or veterinary college. Attainment of these advanced degrees offers numerous opportunities for rewarding careers such as university teaching, public or private research and development, private veterinary practice, and federal or state veterinary practice.
