What is Dairy Fellows?
Dairy Fellows is an educational and exploration program for Cornell juniors and seniors. The groundbreaking and nationally recognized program began in 1984 with the vision that students headed for careers in the dairy industry needed more than traditional science courses to prepare for the ever-changing world of modern agriculture.. Since that time, hundreds of Cornell students have taken advatntage of the Dairy Fellows Program to learn about dairying's diversity., formulate career plans, experience international travel, pursue internships and develop a personal and professional network of people in dairying. Today, there are more than 125 students in the program.
Dairy Fellows interact and work with progressive dairy producers, industry leaders and agribusiness professionals. Students tour dairy farms and agribusinesses, getting in-depth and up-close looks at all aspects of dairying - from milk production to milk marketing and product development. The Dairy Fellows perform production and financial analysis of dairy businesses, learning what works on dairies from the professionals who manage them and agribusiness professionals who provide expertise.
Dairy Fellows is a partnership between dairy producers, agribusinesses and Cornell to educate and prepare students for the future.
said Dr. David Galton, in a recent interview. “Over time, we’ve developed business and herd management courses to complement traditional science courses in order to better equip students for the dairy industry. While the science is here and an essential part of the Dairy Fellows program, dairy industry is the focus – there are very few programs that have that focus with the same degree of intensity.”“Our program emphasizes science, business and management”
“The core strength of the Dairy Fellows program is the combination of courses and experiences that prepare students to have a better awareness and knowledge base of the dairy industry.”
As a junior, along with the study of dairy industry and farm analyses, Dairy Fellows develop a resume and take personality assessments in order to establish career direction and prepare them for an internship the upcoming summer. Animal science faculty members Dave Galton, Thomas Overton and Mike Van Amburgh work with the students individually to match them with that internship.
“We work with the students very closely and know them on a personal basis,” said Galton. Internships are a major component of the Fellows program. Almost all the Fellows do an internship between their junior and senior year of college but some will also do summer internships earlier in their college career. "We don’t mandate the internship, but highly insist that they do at least one.”
In the senior Dairy Fellows course, students participate in the more intense farm analyses, industry tours, and seminars. They go more in-depth on the trends of the dairy industry, and we help them better position themselves as they apply for jobs.
Other than the two required courses, Dairy Fellows are free to choose additional courses according to what is relevant to their interests, whether that be dairy herd management, research, business, or another topic.