Dairy and Food Animal Management Major

Get involved. Find your people.

Explore some of the dairy and food animal management-related student organizations at UW–Madison:

Beyond student organizations, explore additional opportunities to get involved in animal or agriculture-related organizations on campus:

Join a competitive team

There’s opportunities for you to compete nationally with fellow students—visit farms around Wisconsin and judge dairy cattle at national competitions as part of the Intercollegiate Dairy Cattle Judging Team, evaluate a well-managed dairy farm business and then recommend management enhancements at the North American Intercollegiate Dairy Challenge, or compete in one of the many annual horse shows with the Wisconsin Equestrian Team.

Join an on-campus research lab

Participate in independent or mentored research with internationally recognized department faculty who study nutrition, genetics, lactation, reproduction, animal welfare, herd management, and more.

Develop real-world laboratory skills, practice public speaking, build your network on campus, and learn first-hand from faculty, staff, and graduate students.

Gain real-world experience with internships

100% of dairy and food animal management students complete an internship or field experience. Work at Bucky’s Varsity Meats, UW–Madison’s student-driven meat shop, the USDA Meat Plant, or a local farm or agribusiness.

Each dairy and food animal management student gets paired with a faculty mentor who will help you explore internship opportunities and offer career advice.

Learn through hands-on lab courses

Interact with animals during lab courses with visits to on-campus animal facilities such as the Dairy Cattle Center or poultry research labs. Gain hands-on experience with animals while learning about reproduction, animal nutrition and genetics, dairy herd management, lactation physiology, meat science, and processing.

Beef, swine, sheep, and additional dairy animal facilities are located at Agricultural Research Stations near campus.

Study abroad and gain a global perspective

Travel internationally and complement your coursework and research with a study abroad program. Study animal nutrition in the Netherlands, animal physiology in Ireland, or animal agriculture and sustainable development in Mexico.

You can also choose from one of UW–Madison’s many semester, summer, and short-term study abroad programs.