Buildings of USU: South Farm & Caine Dairy

The Student Life section of Utah State Today highlights work written by the talented student journalists at Utah State University. Each week, the editor selects a story that has been published in The Utah Statesman or the Hard News Café or both for inclusion in Utah State Today.

By Alina Shaw, USU Statesman, Wednesday, Feb. 22, 2017

Utah State University was originally started as a land grant agricultural school in 1888. In 1957, USU officially removed agricultural college from the title.

Today, many students do not realize what a large role agriculture continues to play at our university.

The agricultural spirit of USU is kept alive through the animal, dairy and veterinary science facilities located in Wellsville. The Caine Dairy Teaching and Research Center and the South Farm research center allow ag students to obtain valuable hands-on experience in their undergraduate years.

The facilities offer beef production, equine science, spider silk goats, animal cloning and more opportunities for students to learn from their experiences working with the animals. One of the most popular products of these facilities is USU’s beloved Aggie ice cream.

Whether you are a fan of Aggie blue mint or crazy about Aggie bull tracks, the USU Creamery has a flavor for everyone. It is no surprise that these creamy concoctions are a big hit among those with a connection to campus. 

“I love Aggie ice cream. They have the best flavors ever,” said Angela Strong, a senior at USU. “I feel like Aggie ice cream is authentic and has sentimental value for me personally and for other people in the valley.”

The cream that is used to make Aggie ice cream comes directly from USU’s very own dairy cows. Just a few miles up Highway 89, the Caine Dairy Teaching and Research Center offers not only cream, but also classes and educational research opportunities for USU students.

“I don’t think a lot of people know that USU has its own dairy cows,” Strong said. “I feel like a lot of people come here and don’t even know that this is an agricultural school.”

These facilities are one of the best kept secrets of USU. Not many students outside of the agriculture and applied science programs are familiar with what goes on at these facilities. Though many students wear the title of “Aggie” with pride it can be easy to forget that the term is rooted in the historical beginnings of USU as an agricultural college.

The dairy cows at Caine Dairy not only provide USU students with ice cream, but they play a crucial role in helping ADVS majors learn the ins and outs of running a dairy farm. Breeding, dairy cow health and raising calves are only a few of the lessons taught through hands-on experience at the Caine Dairy.

Dairy cows are not the only cows on campus. Just a few miles down the road, South Farm is home to a large herd of beef cows. Doctor Sweat, a USU graduate and veterinarian explained some of the versatile roles that beef cows play on the farm.

“A lot of the beef cows are primarily used for teaching beef production classes,” he said. “There’s meat classes and carcass judging classes. So they’ll come and look at the cows before they are butchered and will grade them according to how they look on the hoof. Then they’ll go into the harvest facility and see how they look on the rack so they can evaluate how they did judging them before.”

Sweat also said that some of the beef cows are used as show steers while others are currently being used for a privately funded cloning research project.

As loyal as USU Aggies are to Big Blue and all his cow friend counterparts, there is room at South Farm for more than just beef and dairy cows. Equine science majors have the opportunity to get out of the four corners of the classroom and saddle up for a more hands-on experience. These students learn how to ride, manage and stable horses. In the spring, the new colts brought to South Farm get broken in by USU students.

“There’s breeding classes, riding classes, reproduction classes and just all kinds of things. There’s also the English and Western equestrian teams that meet out here and the rodeo team practices in the arena.” Sweat said. “There aren’t any other equine programs as good in Utah.”

A recent addition to the South Farm curriculum is the equine assisted therapy course. Taught by Michelle Weeds, this new program gives physically and mentally disabled people an opportunity to come and ride horses.

Katie Bresnahan, a veterinary student, has spent a lot of her time at USU out at the facilities in Wellsville.

“As part of the vet program, we spend a lot of time out at South Farm. We have a lot of different classes and labs that are held out there. We have our principles of surgery labs and classes out there as well,” Bresnahan said. “We learn how to scrub in, surgical techniques, suturing and even more. Whenever the school has surgeries that they are doing on animals that are being used for research, we will go out and assist in those.”

Bresnahan has taken a variety of classes at the farm during her time here at USU.

“I took a horse production class in my undergrad. We got to do everything from grooming the horses to cleaning the stalls. We learned anatomy and identifying things on horses,” Bresnahan said. “I got to do a swine production class which was cool because I didn’t know anything about pigs. We got to take care of the moms, feed them, manage their pregnancy and take care of the babies. You got to learn about the theory and business side in class and then go out and actually do it.”

Bresnahan’s favorite part of working out at the farm is working in the surgery labs.

“I love everything to do with the surgeries and the hands-on experience that I get to have. Since we have a small program, we get a lot of one-on-one time with the doctors. It’s been awesome to be able to develop surgical technique,” she said.

Bresnahan feels that USU’s title as the number one agricultural school in the nation is fitting because of the opportunities students have to gain hands on experience.

“I think we are the number one ag school for a lot of reasons. South Farm helps a lot because there are so many resources right at our fingertips. As an undergrad, I was able to get involved with things I had never experienced before,” she said. “I don’t have a large animal background. I didn’t grow up on a farm. I got that experience through clubs and classes here at USU. I think it’s instrumental that we have the hands-on opportunities that we do. You can’t just talk about agriculture. You have to do it in order to understand it.”

Jessie Hadfield, president of the Animal Science Club at USU, said she has loved the opportunities that she and other students have had at South Farm.

“I’ve really enjoyed the opportunity to work with the animals. They are constantly working to add new facilities. It’s nice to get out of the classroom and get hands-on experiences,” she said.

The Animal Science Club spends a great deal of time out at the farm through their meetings and activities.

“The two biggest events we have are at South Farm. We do our club-calf sale in November. We start as early as September working with the calves until the sale. In the spring, we will have a lamb clinic where we will do showmanship workshops and then will have a sale,” Hadfield said.

“Students need the opportunity to get as much live animal experience as they can because when they leave USU that’s what an employer will be expecting. They’re expecting them to have handling experience and know how to run the facilities,” she said. “That’s the most beneficial thing we have about South Farm. Students can work animals and be a part of the slaughtering process. I think the hands on experience that you’ll never get in the classroom is what makes South Farm so important.”

Without the Caine Dairy and South Farm, the College of Agriculture and Applied Sciences would not be as widely respected as it currently is. USU is the top agricultural school in the nation. That title comes from all of the incredibly dedicated students, faculty and staff who love agriculture and work to keep the program thriving.