A Taste of Things to Come

April 30th-May 2nd, 2012

A couple of weeks ago, the graduate student whose research project I'm working on invited me to join him at the Center to kick off our research trial and collect the initial data. I jumped at the chance. I couldn't wait to see where I'd be spending my summer and what I'd be doing. We left that Monday night and got in late. The ride was full of hills which are an uncommon site for me. Once we got there, we settled in and watched the ultimate cowboy in El Dorado which must have been left in our dorm by a previous guest. The next day, we booted up and emerged from our dorm into the fresh country are and sunshine. Within my first few steps, a beautiful red cardinal swooped across our path. Suddenly, a calm swept over me and I was left with a sense of certainty that today is going to be a good day.

We met Frank, my adviser and head of the animal science program at the center, at the Animal Science building at 7 am. It would be a long day, but I was excited and determined to show them that I could work hard. First, we met Frank's guys to move our cattle to the shoot so we could collect our weigh our steer calves, assign them body conditioning scores, deworm them, ear tag them, and collect blood samples. We blocked the gravel road as the calves moved out of the pasture and walked them up the long, tree-lined road to another pen. One by one each calve walked through the chute and was "processed." We were surprised by how scrawny they were with the runt of the herd weighing in at 230 lbs. I got a lot of practice that morning collecting blood samples and operating the levers of the mechanical chute. Only sticking myself once with the needle, I considered it a success.

After processing all 70 or so calves, we brought the blood samples back to the lab and started to prepare them in the centrifuge. Once that was done, Bain, Lindsey, and I used pipettes to remove plasma from the large test tubes and deposit it small sample containers. With each tube I opened, I would triple-check that the ID numbers on the test tube and small container matched. That was the first time I had ever done lab work for actual research and did not want to make them regret entrusting me with the task.

If you think we called it a day after that, you have never worked on a farm. Covered in sweat, mud, and what definitely didn't smell like mud, we headed out to the test pastures to collect forage samples and forage heights using a rising plate meter. As the other two collected samples, I walked up and down each pasture, dodging hot wires and recording my measurements. By the time we finished collecting our data and samples, it was about 5:00 and we were all looking forward to a well-needed shower.To end the day, we went to Kentucky for dinner (just saying that amuses me) and capped off our night with "The Duke."

Our second and last morning of the trip, we met with Frank at 7:30 and prepared to sort our steers that we processed the morning before into their treatment groups. Again, they were sent through the chute. Once their ID number was read, they were allowed to go into a specific pen which corresponded to one of the treatments. After having a day under my belt, I got a lot more hands on when getting each steer through the alleyway and into the chute. I definitely got my hands (......shirt, arms, jeans, and face) dirty. Though at one point, I somehow got my thumb stuck between a rail and gate of the chute and one of the guys had to pry the gap open wider, I was proud....covered in manure...but proud. After all had been sorted, we each walked a group to their treatment pasture. It felt amazing spurring on this group of calves on my own.

the view from the chute....reminds me of Ireland

Once they were all relocated to their pastures, Lindsey and I headed back to the dorm to take quick showers, pack, and drive back to Champaign. On the ride home, I explained to her how important it was to me to pull my weight and for the guys to know that I'm not afraid to get dirty and work hard. She assured me that I did a job well done. Needless to say, I was relieved. Once we got back to campus and said our goodbyes, I walked into dorm room. Though I only stayed on the farm for two days, it felt weird to be back. I missed it the farm, the country, the fresh air, the gorgeous views, the cute yet manure-covered calves, and even not having my computer and cell phone service. The work is hard, the days are long, but the life is simple. I can't wait to spend the summer living the life, watching my steers grow, and experiencing personal growth myself. See you soon, Dixon Springs!

My home for the summer

the view from our house