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When Payton Eirman’s family decided to exit the dairy industry in 2017, it was a hard and emotional decision. Eight years later, Payton is now a college student entering her junior year at Delaware Valley University where she’s studying animal science with a focus on pre-veterinary studies – a field that she hopes will allow her to help other farmers navigate some of the dynamics her family experienced.
“My family had about 150 cows that we milked. It was a hard point for my family to go out, and it’s always hard admitting that you can’t do it anymore. I kind of just fell in love with wanting to help [other farmers]. Right now, I see the veterinary track as my way of helping the industry,” Payton shared.
Payton decided she wanted to complete an On-Farm Internship to not only gain direct experience on a large-scale dairy farm, but to also build on her passion for research.
“I knew I wanted to experience as much as possible before vet school. But I grew up on a smaller dairy farm, so I wanted to gain a larger dairy farm experience. That’s really what drew me to apply for this internship, because they told me they could get me placed on a larger farm like this one,” Payton added. “And if I wanted to do research, I could. We could get what we wanted out of the research project.”
She’s now getting to do just that: interning at Walmoore Holsteins, a 1,200 cow dairy farm in Chester County, Pennsylvania. Payton works closely with the farm’s herd managers and veterinarians to manage herd health, perform vet checks, feed calves, haul heifers and more. She has honed her skills, observed different surgeries, and made the most of any chance to network.
“Tuesdays are probably my favorite days because that’s when we do the vet checks. The vets usually bring their students, so I can ask them a lot of questions, which is nice. I’ve done a lot of networking that way because they have new students every couple weeks,” Payton explained. “The vets also teach me a lot. I’ve watched a couple hernia surgeries, and we had a left displaced abomasum (LDA) that I was able to watch. They’re very open to learning all the time and take me right in. I’m very grateful that they’ve given these experiences to me.”
While nothing beats networking and new relationships, Payton says blood draws is the most useful skill she has learned during the On-Farm Internship.
“I’ve gotten pretty confident in calf blood draws. In our husbandry classes at school, they only teach us how to physically do tail veins in cows. Drawing blood in calves is something I never knew how to do, because it’s a lot smaller than a cow,” she added.
With the On-Farm Internship program also including a research project component, Payton took advantage of the opportunity to dive into several projects that drove specific results for the herd. She focused on:
- Calf health and colostrum research. Payton noticed the farm’s passive transfer rates (how well a calf absorbs colostrum) were dipping due to the summer heat. She spent the summer researching strategies like electrolyte support and cooling techniques to improve absorption and give the calves the best start.
- Heifer growth gains. Payton and her supervisor weighed, fed, and tracked average daily gains in heifers under 16 weeks old. The numbers jumped by +0.37 lbs. per day.
- Dry cow shade. Shade is a must for dry cows in the summer, so Payton researched and recommended shade materials that balance cooling, durability, and rain protection to keep the cows comfortable before calving.
- Social media. Payton took on an exciting project to revamp Walmoore Holsteins’ social media presence. Her posts have helped educate the community and highlight the hard work and care of their animals.
“I really love the research and these projects. I love to dive in and get my hands dirty. They’ve been nothing but welcoming to that. I really thought that I would just stand around and watch everybody, but my managers will give one cow an IV and then say, ‘All right, you’re next. You’re doing it.’ That has forced me out of my comfort zone instead of having to ask to do everything,” Payton shared. “Even though I was only here short term, they still taught me everything. There’s nothing they cut out. They fully involved me in all the operations here.”
After getting immersed in a large dairy operation, meeting veterinarians from across the industry, and exploring her passion for research, Payton’s future has definitely become more clear. She wants to stay in the veterinary track and even decided to graduate a year early.
“I wasn’t sure whether I wanted to graduate in three years, but the vet students I met were so great and they helped me with that decision. I’ve worked in the veterinary field since I was 16, so they made me feel a lot better about myself and my experience. I was doubting myself that I wasn’t enough for something like this. They helped solidify my decision to graduate a year early,” she said. “All of the hands-on skills I learned and the networking I’ve done has made me sure that this is definitely want I want to do.”
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The Dairy Excellence Foundation, the Professional Dairy Managers of Pennsylvania, and the Pennsylvania Dairymen’s Association provide $3,000 grants to support these on-farm internships each summer.