Record number of students attend Utah State University Sheep Days
A group of students seeking a new perspective on ranching helped create a record turnout for Utah State University’s annual Sheep Days trip to Evanston, Wyoming, on Oct. 2.
The Animal, Dairy, and Veterinary Science Department event is an opportunity for students to get a first-hand look at the sheep ranching industry.
“This is the biggest group we have taken yet,” Chad Page, the program’s sheep and goat specialist, said of the 150-student attendance at the event. “I don’t know of another university that does something to this extent.”
The activity began in the early hours of the morning as students met at the USU South Farm in Wellsville and made their way to the J.R. Broadbent Ranch. The purpose for this trip was to conduct breeding soundness exams on the rams – male sheep – of the operation and provide the Broadbents with valuable information for their flock.
Page worked with Anahi Rivera, the Sheep and Goat Club president, to organize the event and worked together to add new elements to the trip.
In past years the majority of participants were introductory animal science students. This year, however, Page partnered with Clay Isom, a genetics professor at the university, and his senior-level reproduction class.
“With the knowledge they have gained over their college experience, events like this will now help to solidify it,” Page said.
Isom’s students set up a tent to run semen evaluation tests. Other students were given the responsibility to operate sheep holding chutes, administer vaccines, and move rams from station to station by hand all while trying to avoid getting run over or letting a sheep escape.
“Seeing other students who have never touched a lamb, or aren’t even on an agricultural path, seeing them be excited about it is really cool,” Rivera said.
The experience is open to all university students, regardless of major.
“I think it’s good to use your hands sometimes. You don’t need to be learning theories every time,” said Al Solar, an MBA student from the Huntsman School of Business. “The people here might think another way, and I want to gain a new perspective.”
Page and Rivera said they hope this served as a unique educational experience due to its wide reach. Whether students gained a newfound spark for the industry or safely ruled it out as a career option, they were able to see and appreciate what ranchers do on a daily basis.
“There was a student that approached the rancher and thanked him for the opportunity and expressed how meaningful it was to him,” Page said. “This student had no experience prior to the event. It was a completely unique experience for him. That was the most impactful moment for me.”
The students were able to examine more than 400 rams by the end of the day.
Students who missed out on the Sheep Days experience this semester will have another opportunity to attend in the spring. Page said he hopes the trend in increased student involvement is here to stay.