Program Highlights
Among many other things, students in this program learn to:
Prepare a management plan for a dairy enterprise that includes skills for positive handling, care and management of animals within the herd
Recognize dairy animals’ health and wellness, and be able to choose appropriate prevention and treatment techniques to optimize the production of the herd
Identify and describe animal nutritional requirements and translate these needs into accurate ration formulations, then to evaluate the effectiveness of the ration
Relate the needs and outputs of the dairy herd to the forage and crop resources available
Analyze dairy industry record systems to determine and implement a decision-making strategy that will maximize the profitability of the herd
Become (and remain) thoroughly up-to-date regarding current breeding and reproductive methods and practices in the dairy industry and use them to evaluate the genetic merits of individual animals for selection decisions
Degree Option
Associate in Applied Science (AAS)
The dairy industry is one of the largest and most important industries in New York State, and the Dairy Production and Management curriculum at SUNY Cobleskill is designed to provide a well-rounded education in the efficient and profitable management of dairy operations.
As the dairy business continues to grow, the need for well-trained and competent workers is consistently greater than the number of quality candidates available for placement. In other words, the odds of our graduates finding employment in this field are excellent.
SUNY Cobleskill is a leader in two-year education and is committed to meeting the future needs of the dairy industry in the Northeastern United States. Our Dairy Production Management students gain necessary skills, knowledge and experience through classroom instruction, laboratory training, on-farm experience and field visits. And they will also be prepared with more than enough knowledge and skills to enable them to continue their education in bachelor’s degree programs, or to enter certain dairy-related occupations directly after graduation.
Sample courses include:
A recent USDA study shows that each year there are an estimated 57,900 high-skilled job openings in the food, agriculture, renewable natural resources and environmental fields – yet only 35,400 new U.S. graduates in those fields. Obviously, then, SUNY Cobleskill graduates are poised to enter a world with near-boundless career opportunities.
To help ensure their success, we prepare our Dairy Production and Management students for both on-farm and off-farm career choices, including:
And, as evidence of the extensive knowledge and skills they have acquired here, our recent graduates have filled such positions as:
The Dairy Production and Management department offers a Conversa language program in which students travel to Costa Rica for either a 3- or 12-week immersion course in Spanish. The ability to be conversant in the language is immensely helpful for a dairy industry in which there are many Spanish-speaking employees. You can find details at on the Study Abroad programs page.
Dairy Cattle Club - This club is open to any person from any major who is interested in dairy cattle. It is the largest club on campus with over 60 active members. Activities include trips, club-sponsored contests, and the longest-running college club-run consignment sale of registered cattle.
Dairy Judging Team – The Judging Team is comprised of four students who evaluate dairy cattle based on phenotypic characteristics and who compete in judging contests across the country. We’re proud to say that our 2017 Dairy Judging Team placed first in the International Post-Secondary Dairy Judging Contest, held annually in Madison, Wisconsin.
Dairy Challenge Team – This four-person team of students evaluate a specific dairy farm for future improvement. Students are given less than 24 hours to inspect the facility and provide recommendations to the dairy farm owners and to a panel of judges, and then compete at the Northeast Regional and National Intercollegiate Dairy Challenge competitions.