This summer, we have 9 students completing on-farm internships on progressive dairy farms in Pennsylvania and New York! 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 internship program each summer. 

Read their stories and view highlights from their summer!


Meet Calvin, an On-Farm Intern Who’s Gaining Firsthand Experience with Breeding and Genetics

His favorite thing about dairy farming: I love the hard work that is put into dairy farming and the scientific progress the industry has made.

As long as he can remember, Calvin Dechow has been around cows. A rising junior at Penn State University where he studies animal science, Calvin spends a lot of his time on his grandfather’s dairy farm in Western New York. He spends most of his summers working there and showing animals. After talking to dairy industry professionals who encouraged him to broaden his skillset and gain hands-on experience on a progressive dairy farm, Calvin decided to complete an on-farm internship at Furnace Hill Holsteins in Lebanon, Pennsylvania this summer.

“I wanted to get more experience and a different idea of what a functional day [looks like] on a dairy farm. My grandfather doesn’t milk anymore, so I wanted to be on a farm that does milk, get experience breeding, and see the management side of dairy farming,” Calvin said. “I also talked to other people about finding jobs in the dairy industry. One of the biggest things they said was to get more on-farm experience.”


Meet Paige, an On-Farm Intern Expanding Her Knowledge of the Dairy Industry

Her favorite thing about dairy farming: I like the involvement that dairy farmers have with their cows and making sure they have a quality life to efficiently produce milk.

Paige Abruzzese has been expanding her knowledge and experiences in the dairy industry during her summer internship at Musser Run Jerseys in McVeytown, Pennsylvania.

As a rising senior at the University of Tennessee studying animal science, Paige has some initial experience with agriculture. She spent a summer helping with milking on a dairy farm and wanted to further explore career opportunities in the industry. She found the on-farm internship by browsing through summer jobs online.

“This internship was super appealing to me,” Paige shares.  “It can be difficult to find a farm that is looking for summer help and get in contact with them.  The opportunity to be connected with a farm that is willing to teach me everything was very exciting.” 


Meet Isabella, an On-Farm Intern Who’s Strengthening Her Breeding Skills While Learning Herd Management

Her favorite thing about dairy farming: I love how rewarding working in the dairy industry is.

Isabella Johnson started working in the dairy industry in high school, leading her towards her decision to attend Delaware Valley University where she studies Dairy Science.  As a rising senior, she has had opportunities to explore her interests within dairy farming.  She spent a previous summer breeding cows throughout the Northeastern states.  Looking towards graduation, she was searching for an internship that would help her strengthen those skills and learn how to expand her knowledge for herd management.  With those goals in mind, Isabella decided to complete an on-farm internship at Schrack Farms in Loganton, Pennsylvania this summer.

“I think I was paired with this farm because I wanted to experience a larger herd size than I was used to,” Isabella said. “I wanted a lot of herd management experience, which is what I spend my days doing here.”

Isabella has taken an interest in the reproduction side of management, and the farm has allowed her to manage all breeding for the summer.  Every morning, she makes sort lists for the milk cows for breeding, health checks, and shots.  Depending on the day, she will follow up with the cows she programmed, dry off cows, give shots, breed, or assist with vet check.


Meet Alex, an On-Farm Intern Who’s Gaining Experience on a Robotic Dairy in New York

His favorite thing about dairy farming: I love taking care of the animals and making sure they are happy and healthy.

Alex Coursen grew up on a 60-cow robotic dairy near State College, Pennsylvania. This summer, he decided to complete an on-farm internship at Hemdale Farms in Clifton Springs, New York. While he has experience working on a robotic dairy, Hemdale Farms was a push outside his comfort zone – the farm milks approximately 1,400 cows and is more than 200 miles away from his hometown.

“Even when I’m at school, I’m only 30 minutes away from home, so this was definitely out of my comfort zone,” Alex said. “Moving three hours away was a bit of an adjustment, and my days look much different here than any day I have had at home.”

As a sophomore studying animal science at Penn State University, Alex expanded on his skills through the on-farm internship. He focused a lot of his time each day treating sick cows, starting each morning assisting with treatments and then helping the herdsman throughout the day with daily chores. He also had the opportunity to shadow Hemdale Farms’ on-farm robot technician to learn more about maintenance and problem solving.


Meet Lillian, an On-Farm Intern Who’s Learning About the Dairy Industry Before Starting Her Master’s Degree

Her favorite thing about dairy farming: I love how much farmers truly care about the well-being of their animals and want to see them thrive.

Lillian Corbett is graduating from Penn State University with a bachelor’s in animal science at the end of the summer. She had some ag exposure in high school and spent time in college doing research on the University’s dairy farm. While finishing her degree over the summer, she wanted to get direct, farm-level experience and exposure to the dairy industry.  Lilly is completing an on-farm internship on Canon Dairy in West Middlesex, Pennsylvania. 

“I think it’s just a perfect match overall. I was interested in the food side of things and marketing, but also in getting hands-on experience with the cattle,” Lillian shares. “I think they were looking for an intern to jump around and who was willing to learn everything, so it worked out really well for both of us.”

As an intern, Lillian spends her days helping with every area of the farm. On top of daily chores and coursework, she helps with genomic testing, dairy processing, working at the on-farm store, and promoting the farm’s social events. 


Meet Adria, an On-Farm Intern Who Expanded Her Breeding and Reproduction Skills on 2,700-Cow Dairy

Her favorite thing about dairy farming: I love the passion that is behind the production of the dairy goods consumers enjoy!

Adria Russell is a rising sophomore studying animal science with a minor in agriculture business at The Pennsylvania State University. She raises show heifers and cows at home with her family where they currently milk five cows and sell raw milk, with each cow known by name. This summer, she made the transition to work on a large-scale, progressive dairy herd as an on-farm intern at Kulp Family Dairy, LLC in Martinsburg, PA where they milk over 2,700 cows across three farms. Adria works on the main farm where they milk 1,500 head a day.

“I’ve always had an interest in working in a lab setting, but I also really like the idea of working hands-on with animals. I’m trying to decide whether I want to be in the barn every day or if I’d rather do field work or work in an office all day,” Adria shared. “I wanted to get a head start on having an internship that would benefit my future career, but also my animals back home.”


Meet Kelly, an On-Farm Intern Who Gained Firsthand Experience With Rotational Grazing and Delivering Milk to Customers

Her favorite thing about dairy farming: I love that the dairy industry is dedicated to progress and innovation.

Kelly Bliss grew up on her family’s farm in Huntingdon County, PA where they raise Jersey cattle, Angus cattle, and some breeding sheep. With a love for problem-solving, conservation and sustainable agriculture, Kelly Bliss is in her sophomore year at Cornell University studying biological engineering. Her desire to gain farm-level experience that was different than her home farm led her to an on-farm internship with Wellwyn Farm and God’s Country Creamery in Ulysses, PA for the summer.

“I wanted a farm experience that was different from my home farm,” said Kelly. “I wanted to see what else was out there since I’m hoping to stay connected to agriculture and the [dairy] industry in my career.”

The highlight of Kelly’s internship was running a delivery route for the creamery every Wednesday – an experience that took all day as she traveled many miles across the county and built connections with customers in the community. “I love the customer relations and seeing the full-circle experience,” she added. “I helped out with the cows but then got to see the product get to a customer.”


Meet Darcy, an Intern Who Explored Food Science in a Dairy Processing Plant

Her favorite thing about dairy farming: I love how versatile and healthy dairy products are, especially cheese and ice cream!

Darcy Heltzel grew up on her family’s 120-cow dairy, Piney Mar Farm, in Martinsburg, PA. Her responsibilities on the family farm included feeding calves and milking cows. While she enjoys caring for animals, she discovered an interest in food science and is a rising sophomore studying food science at the Iowa State University.

“I knew that I really liked dairy and animals, but I didn’t really want to be a vet. I was trying to take a different avenue and still be true to my background and passions for the dairy industry. I thought food science really fit that well,” Darcy shared.

To explore food science a bit further and gain real-world experience, Darcy decided to complete a Dairy Processing Internship.


Meet Gavin, an On-Farm Intern Who Experienced Personal and Professional Growth on 1,000-Cow Dairy

His favorite thing about dairy farming: I love the rewarding feeling of dedicating myself to hard work and early mornings to support production for consumers.

Gavin Brophy is a junior at North Carolina State University where he’s majoring in animal science on the pre-veterinary track. He is originally from Westchester, PA, which is only a 30-minute drive from where he spent the summer through an on-farm internship at Walmoore Holsteins, Inc in Cochranville, PA.

Gavin grew up in the suburbs with little to no agriculture experience, but college allowed him to broaden his horizons. His dairy experience started at NC State with volunteer opportunities on the student farm. He hoped to gain more formal, farm-level experience, which is what led him to apply for the On-Farm Internship. Now, he is hooked on the industry.

“I love the environment [in the dairy industry]. It’s super dynamic and a lot different from just a vet clinic or small animal hospital,” Gavin shared. “You’re out on the farm working closely with the animals and the people. Everyone who’s in the agriculture industry seems to be family-oriented.”