![\"ansci_cowultrasnd22\"](\"https:\/\/c1.staticflickr.com\/3\/2926\/33331802501_80aa1b031b_n.jpg\")
<\/a>In 1919, George C. White, for whom the building that houses the Department of Animal Science is named, served as president of the American Dairy Science Association. In the 1940s, E.O. Anderson studied the action of penicillin against mastitis, inflammation of the udder tissue, in milk. In the 1950s and 60s, B.W. Pickett and other department faculty contributed to the emerging technology of freezing semen, developing a method for sealing plastic straws of semen and a gun for insemination. In the 1970s, C.O. Woody and his colleagues worked in the area of estrus control, refining an ear implant that delivered hormones to regulate the reproductive cycle. In the 1970s, Lynn Brown worked with Frito-Lay to incorporate potato material from the manufacturing of potato chips into dairy cattle feed. And, in 1999, Jerry Yang\u2019s research produced Amy, a Holstein calf that was the first cloned farm animal in the United States, and the first farm animal in the world cloned with non-reproductive cells.<\/p>\nCurrently, Associate Professor Kristen Govoni and her postdoctoral fellow, Maria Hoffman, are studying how maternal milk production affects male offspring birth weight and circulating growth factors, metabolites and immunology. Findings will be used to develop management and intervention strategies to improve calf growth and health.<\/p>\n
Mary Margaret Cole, executive program director in the Department of Animal Science, is responsible for the dairy herd, and indeed all the other livestock operations with the exception of the horses. In managing the herd, says Cole, the health of the cows and the cleanliness of the milking system are her paramount concerns. She continues, \u201cCow comfort is the number one priority. It has to be. And for them to make as much milk as possible but be healthy while doing so.\u201d<\/p>\n
The KDC\u2019s stalls are bedded with mattresses and groomed three times daily to keep them clean, airy and dry. There\u2019s plenty of water; lactating cows drink a lot of water, and it must be clean. Feed is always available in the barn\u2019s feed bunk. Total Mixed Ration, or TMR, is mixed onsite and consists of UConn-produced corn silage; corn meal, canola meal, sodium bicarbonate, alfalfa hay and rumen bypass fat (which helps the cows keep weight on during peak lactation) along with a custom blend of additional protein, vitamins and minerals. Lactating Jersey cows eat approximately ninety pounds per day, Holsteins about 120 pounds.<\/p>\n
Says Cole, an alumna of the program, \u201cIt\u2019s nice for the students to see what they learned in the classroom come to life and to watch their eyes light up when they see a calf born for the first time. I\u2019ve seen thousands of calves born, and it never gets old.\u201d<\/p>\n Cole spends many hours training new student hires. \u201cI have a great group of kids. We have written established protocols, and they train with full-time staff. The students get a lot of hands-on experience. They learn to give injections, how and why we vaccinate, how to do CMT tests for mastitis, how to take a cow\u2019s temperature. They learn why cleanliness is so important. They have a little freedom here at night, and it sharpens their diagnostic skills. They know what they should do, but they often call me. Sometimes two or three calls a night, sometimes I get a couple of full nights\u2019 sleep.\u201d Cole would not have it any other way.<\/p>\n So how is this marvelous milk made into exquisite ice cream?<\/p>\n The UConn Creamery, which is operated by the Department of Animal Science, has been processing milk since the early 1900s. Since the 1950s, its UConn Dairy Bar ice cream has received countless accolades\u2014Best of Connecticut from Connecticut Magazine<\/em>, Best of New England from Yankee Magazine<\/em>, rave reviews from the Boston Globe<\/em>, BusinessInsider.com and Spoonuniversity.com, and on and on.<\/p>\n Only UConn milk is used in the ice cream; it\u2019s the first ingredient on the label. The creamery uses about 25 percent of the milk produced up the hill, and the rest is sold to the dairy cooperative Agrimark. Although sold as a commodity, the milk earns a premium for its high quality.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have twenty regular flavors and seasonal specials,\u201d says Sciturro, \u201cEach of the regular flavors has survived dozens of short-term replacements. To make a new flavor, we have to take off someone\u2019s favorite. Every regular flavor has its loyal following.\u201d The three most popular flavors are vanilla, chocolate and Husky Tracks, vanilla ice cream swirled with fudge and embellished with chunks of Reese\u2019s Peanut Butter Cups.<\/p>\n Most small-batch ice cream producers buy pre-made mix. The UConn Creamery makes its own, and if there is any magic in the process, it\u2019s in making the mix that it happens. The ice cream\u2019s complex, deep flavor is a result of the low-temperature, long-time hold (LTLT) pasteurization process that caramelizes the sugars in the mix. UConn\u2019s mix is heated to above 160 degrees and held for thirty minutes. The resulting flavor cannot be duplicated with the high-temperature, short-hold process used for mass-produced ice cream, in which the mix is heated to as much as 180 degrees and held for as little as fifteen seconds. The LTLT process is expensive and the long hold cuts into production efficiency, but the results are worth it. Says Sciturro, \u201cWe don\u2019t cut any corners. We use the very best possible ingredients and we use what is universally acknowledged to be the best process.\u201d<\/p>\n Students are involved in producing the ice cream as well as the milk. About ten students are employed by the creamery at any given time, with two or three on each shift. To meet the ever-growing demand for UConn ice cream, Sciturro recently added a second shift; the shop now operates eleven hours a day, five days a week. The creamery made 49,882 gallons of ice cream in 2016, up from 14,406 gallons in 2004.<\/p>\n Sciturro runs a tight ship with a constant focus on quality, sanitation, aggressive preventive equipment maintenance and sourcing the highest-quality ingredients available. Each day begins with spotlessly clean equipment and facilities; a batch of perfect ice cream is made, poured and frozen; and the day ends with spotlessly clean equipment and facilities. \u201cPeople who work in offices have a pile of projects on their desks that can be pushed to tomorrow. We can\u2019t work that way. At the end of every production day, the equipment must be cleaned, prepared for the next day and ready to go. Although that quick turnaround is sometimes stressful, I\u2019ll admit there\u2019s something satisfying about starting and ending the day at the same place, and let\u2019s not forget that a freezer full of ice cream is a great thing.\u201d Sciturro says his favorite part of the whole process is watching through the creamery\u2019s observation window as people line up for ice cream: \u201cNobody\u2019s not happy when they come for ice cream.\u201d<\/p>\n The Department of Animal Science has always had a core group of students interested in dairy production, or management of the cows. There is now growing student interest in dairy food manufacturing. Department head Steven Zinn<\/a> attributes this in part to the ice cream and to the fact that \u201cthe department was able to hire a nationally known food scientist [D\u2019Amico] with an interest in dairy who also does extension and research.\u201d The department offers courses in food products, probiotics and food chemistry. Since D\u2019Amico arrived, he has taught Animal Food Products: Dairy Technology and the associated writing course. Since 2013, twenty-one undergraduate students have completed dairy product-related independent studies. Students\u2019 growing interest in dairy foods also comes at a time when consumers have an increasing curiosity about where their food comes from and concern about how it\u2019s produced.<\/p>\n Says D\u2019Amico, \u201cStudents get to take what they\u2019ve learned in dairy production and farm management and see what happens to the milk next. They learn how dairy products are made and get to see firsthand why it was so important to keep the somatic cell count low, why you had to do this or that for milk quality. It brings it full circle.\u201d<\/p>\n Improved efficiency in production and resulting lower milk prices paid to farmers have made it increasingly difficult to make a living from fluid milk alone, particularly in states like Connecticut where production costs such as energy and feed components are high. To help dairy farming remain economically sustainable, some producers are diversifying into the manufacture of value-added products like cheese, yogurt, butter and ice cream. Consumer demand for many of these products continues to grow<\/a>, driving a demand for college graduates skilled in dairy manufacturing. A September 2015 article on ProgressiveDairy.com<\/a> describes recent reinvestment in campus creameries by several universities, including UConn, to provide optimum learning environments for students. Upgrades to the UConn Creamery have included replacement and expansion of the freezer system and installation of cheese making equipment, including an industrial oven.<\/p>\n In addition to the recent plant improvements funded by the University, UConn has also received significant support for students in dairy production and dairy manufacturing from what some might consider a surprising source. George Malkemus and Tony Yurgaitis are top executives at Manolo Blahnick, the shoe designer made a household name by the HBO series Sex and the City<\/em>. In 1999, they bought an old farm in Bantam, Connecticut, to save it from development. They christened it Arethusa Farms<\/a> and, beginning with five dairy cows, they have grown their herd to a renowned breeding program that has received numerous international awards. When Arethusa Farms moved into the manufacture of dairy products<\/a>, Sciturro and D\u2019Amico provided technical assistance in their respective areas of expertise. In addition, two undergraduate students in the department have completed internships at Arethusa. In 2016, to help promote Connecticut agriculture and its dairy industry, Malkemus and Yurgaitis donated the proceeds of two shoe sales<\/a>, amounting to more than $283,000, to endow the Arethusa Scholarship for students majoring in dairy production or manufacturing at UConn. Another sale is planned for August 2017. Says Zinn, \u201cThey\u2019re good guys, passionate about they do and about helping students who might otherwise not have the wherewithal to afford college.\u201d<\/p>\n Andrew says that the new generation of producers now assuming responsibility for family-owned dairy operations is taking them to the next level. Milk quality continues to improve as the focus remains on animal health and welfare, milk quality and productivity. Somatic cell counts are down across the board, and it\u2019s been done without having to incur the cost of installing new milking parlors.<\/p>\n![\"ansci](\"https:\/\/c1.staticflickr.com\/3\/2826\/32645561943_c8c454b10c_n.jpg\")
<\/a>Under Cole\u2019s supervision, four to five staff members and eight students tend to the herd. Four of the students, all animal science or pathobiology and veterinary science majors, live in dorm-style rooms at the KDC. In caring for the cattle, the students apply hands-on what they have learned in the classroom. The rigorous curriculum for a major in animal science requires courses in biology, microbiology, chemistry, animal nutrition and feeding, animal genetics, anatomy and physiology, and reproductive physiology. The minor in dairy management requires additional courses in dairy cattle management, dairy management decision-making, food microbiology, business finance and management, and health and disease management.<\/p>\n![\"Creamery\"](\"https:\/\/c1.staticflickr.com\/4\/3714\/32645544443_9434a53c6b_m.jpg\")
<\/a>Two to three times a week Bill Sciturro, manager of the creamery and its ice cream maker since 2007, picks up milk, 175 gallons at a time, from the Kellogg Dairy Center. Sciturro left a career in rehab counseling to follow his passion for making ice cream. \u201cIt\u2019s a happy business!\u201d he says.<\/p>\n![\"Creamery](\"https:\/\/c1.staticflickr.com\/4\/3904\/33076505070_7d38e135cf_m.jpg\")
<\/a>It takes about twenty-two hours over a two-day period to make a batch of UConn Dairy Bar ice cream. The first half of the process is the production and pasteurization production of the base mix. The second day turns the mix into ice cream. A 350-gallon batch of mix makes on average about 650 gallons of ice cream, depending on the bulk of the additional ingredients.<\/p>\n![\"Ladies](\"https:\/\/c1.staticflickr.com\/1\/736\/33303924012_4f264b8139_n.jpg\")
<\/a>The UConn Creamery is also equipped to make cheese. Assistant Professor Dennis D\u2019Amico<\/a> came to the department in 2013 with a PhD in food microbiology and a fascination with cheese and other traditional fermented dairy foods. \u201cI\u2019m simply amazed by what microbes can do to something as basic as milk \u2026 But also, I really love ice cream.\u201d When there is room in the production schedule, D\u2019Amico and Sciturro make cheese, including their popular juustoleipa<\/em>, a Finnish fresh cheese that is baked before eating, creating a toasted crust (juustoleipa<\/em> means bread cheese), and queso blanco<\/em>, a Mexican-style fresh cheese for which they have won medals from the American Cheese Society and the Eastern States Exposition.<\/p>\n![\"alumni151011b003\"](\"https:\/\/c1.staticflickr.com\/3\/2828\/33555131385_f0b1fa9c1d_n.jpg\")
<\/a>Sciturro, D\u2019Amico and the creamery itself are vital resources for dairy manufacturing businesses in Connecticut and across the United States. Each year, Sciturro is sought out by dozens of producers, both experienced and new, from across the country for information and advice on technical issues related to ice cream production, including plant design, equipment types, business plan development and to-spec formulation. He also collaborates with other UConn programs as varied as the Institute of Materials Science (to study the microstructure of ice cream composition), a year-long engineering senior design project (to design a no-sugar-added novel ice cream product) and a tour and discussion on mass heat transfer properties of ice cream production for a chemical engineering class, to serving as a topic for a journalism class\u2019s writing assignment. D\u2019Amico, who was senior research scientist and lecturer at the Vermont Institute for Artisan Cheese while completing his PhD, has developed a national reputation as an expert on artisanal cheese making and frequently advises those looking to get into the business. He is currently developing an online food safety workshop for dairy foods producers that will launch later this year in partnership with North Carolina State University.<\/p>\n![\"IMG_5750\"](\"https:\/\/c1.staticflickr.com\/3\/2820\/33303924272_70770bb173_n.jpg\")
<\/a>The department\u2019s extension outreach to those interested in dairy science serves all ages. Sheila Andrew<\/a>, professor of animal science and extension dairy specialist, supports the Connecticut dairy industry, working directly with farmers to address production problems, particularly those related to nutrition and mastitis, and coordinating an annual conference for dairy producers and associated agribusinesses. She administers the Eastern States 4-H dairy program, including the science-based knowledge test and 4-H Dairy Quiz Bowl. She and Mary Margaret Cole co-advise the UConn Dairy Club<\/a>, which produces the popular Dairy Show each spring and for which any UConn student may learn to show a cow. Club members travel each year to the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair, the world\u2019s largest combined indoor agricultural fair and international equestrian competition, visiting notable dairy farms along the way. During UConn\u2019s January intersession, Andrew offers the weeklong one-credit New England Regional Dairy Travel Course, for which eight to ten students visit dairy farms, agribusinesses, state departments of agriculture and other schools of agriculture. She has served as UConn\u2019s coach for the Dairy Challenge<\/a>, a rigorous regional and national collegiate competition in which student teams evaluate a dairy farm\u2019s finances, management, nutrition and milk quality and develop a 20-minute PowerPoint presenting their findings to the judges.<\/p>\n
![\"milking\"](\"https:\/\/c1.staticflickr.com\/1\/733\/32645556553_05bc229912_n.jpg\")
<\/a>With the next generation\u2019s commitment to continuing and enhancing the family farms, Andrew expects the Connecticut dairy industry to continue to thrive: \u201cMore young people are seeing opportunities on the farm. They stay because they want to.\u201d A trend among the young farmers is to include the consumer in the operation by opening the farms to the public, offering tours, corn mazes and direct sales of their own value-added products like ice cream and cheese.<\/p>\n