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Cow College | DAIRY
STUDENTS ASSIST AUCTION
 iT'S A PLEASANT FRIDAY NIGHT IN
early November, and throngs of grad
students have already converged for
happy hour at the Big Red Barn.
Across campus, a group of undergraduates
has gathered in the Livestock Pavilion for
a more sober task--bathing and grooming
110 dairy cows slated for auction the next
morning. "People are selling bloodlines,
pretty much," says Callan Space '09 as she
stretches to scrub a heifer's shoulder.
"They're being bought for their genetics."
Launched in 1982, the annual New
York Holstein Harvest Sale attracts buyers
from across New York State and as far
away as the West Coast. For four nights,
members of CUDS--the student-run
Cornell University Dairy Scientists--have
assisted the effort by cleaning stalls, hauling
hay, and carrying water. They've filled
four dump trucks with manure. Each class
takes responsibility for one overnight in
the pavilion, and other duties are also
assigned by class: freshmen give baths
while seniors do the final clipping and
most of the showing on auction day.
The CUDS students trade their labor
for 1 percent of the gross sales plus all of
the profits from donated sale items. The
income defrays the costs of a dairy-related
field trip. This year, it's a two-week tour of
Italy's cheese industry. "We believe in
experiential learning," says club advisor
Mike Van Amburgh, PhD '96, a professor
of animal science. The students will tour
cheese production facilities and farms as
well as cultural landmarks. "The stuff in
the green can has no relevance to real
parmesan," says Van Amburgh. "I want the
students to know what Parmigiano Reggiano
tastes like."
By Saturday morning, the cows have been clipped, their black-and-white coats
enhanced with tinted hairspray, and their
tails teased with hairbrushes and blowdryers.
Festive bunting hangs from every
rafter and a three-foot-wide pumpkin decorates
the show pen. At 11 a.m., the auctioneer
takes the stand and students in red
Cornell shirts lead the day's wares into the
ring. Some of the calves are only a few
weeks old; many of the heifers have been
recently inseminated and each had a pregnancy
test Friday morning. Once the bidding
starts, the auctioneer keeps things
moving--unless he wants a higher price
than the crowd seems likely to bid, and
then he breaks into monologue, extolling a
cow's heritage or the easy money breeding
her might bring. "It's like a giant beauty
pageant," says freshman Katy Johnson, whose four-month-old heifer, Joleanna
Talent
Maranda, sells for $3,400. A set of five
embryos goes for $350 each while an especially
coveted cow fetches $20,000, the top
price of the event.When it's over, the auction
has grossed $400,900; the CUDS share
is $9,000--including $800 paid by CALS
Dean Susan Henry for a cheesecake.
Most CUDS members grew up on
farms and about three-quarters of them
will take their first post-graduation jobs in
agriculture. But this auction, says Van
Amburgh, isn't about professional development:
"It's a way for the club to do
something together that involves the
industry. It's kind of a bonding experience
where classes get to know one another,
work together, and raise money."
-- Sharon Tregaskis '95 |
