CAES program equips students with high-value skills in livestock breeding

Angela Reimert is a third-year animal science major who participated on the team in fall 2022. The experience was so influential that she added a dairy science minor to her degree plans.

"I was on the pre-veterinary track already, but this has caused me to lean more toward large animal medicine," Reimert said. "This gave me a look into what I could be doing in the future. Genetics has always fascinated me, so it was great to get an introduction into that aspect of the agricultural industry and the dairy industry as an undergraduate. Being on the JAMS team gave me both class credit and hands-on practice in applied reproduction."

Experiences with the JAMS team encouraged recent CAES alumnus Heidi Cashwell, who graduated with her bachelor's degree in dairy science in December 2023, to pursue an advanced degree.

"Being able to look at the genetic data for these animals and decide which traits you want to continue on, or maybe traits that you want to limit in the future, was awesome. And when you breed that animal and you can see the improvements you make genetically, it's really rewarding to see the progress you make with these animals," Cashwell said.

On a clear fall day at the UGA Teaching Dairy, Du Pont and fellow JAMS students Bekah Stewart, Audrey Mixon and Kayleigh Smith spent the morning checking heifers for pregnancy, examining a group of unbred heifers for preferred physical traits and tagging young heifers.

"Genetics can only tell you so much," Bohlen tells the students as they peruse the animals' forms. "A priority is good feet and legs. Genetics don't mean anything unless the animal can walk to the milking parlor."

Smith, a sophomore, showed commercial heifers as a high school student and was so enthusiastic about the JAMS program, she contacted Bohlen to inquire about the program before she'd even graduated from high school. She is now an animal and dairy science major focusing on livestock production and management.

"I fell in love with it. Working on the farm, playing matchmaker for the heifers, learning about the industry, watching the cows grow from babies to breeding and even to retirement, the whole circle," Smith said as she attached ear tags to several yearling heifers. "It's been an amazing experience." •