Animal Science Technology: Dairy Science Major

Can you imagine starting your day by checking a milking robot’s overnight data before walking the barn? Lakeland’s Animal Science Technology: Dairy Science Major is a two-year diploma at the Vermilion campus that trains you for today’s technology-driven dairy farms.

The Dairy Science Major takes you from practical herd management to implementing new technologies. You build skills in barn management and budgeting, the two areas that decide whether a dairy herd is both healthy and profitable. You also take part in the proAction process on the campus farm, the same programme that proAction validators audit on commercial dairies, and you complete CowSignals training, which Lakeland includes so that your herd decisions start from careful observation of the cows themselves.

Learning is hands-on and student-managed through the Student-Managed Farm, Powered by New Holland. As part of the dairy unit you help manage the college’s dairy herd and make real decisions, using both robot and parlour milking systems and automated feeding in the Dairy Learning Centre. Industry connections, including Alberta Milk, link your studies to the wider dairy sector. After the diploma you can earn a second diploma in Agribusiness in one more year, enter Lakeland’s Bachelor of Agriculture Technology, or transfer 60 credits into the University of Alberta Animal Science major or University of Lethbridge Agricultural Studies.

Dairy Science graduates work as herdspersons and dairy managers, sales representatives for feed, genetics or equipment companies, equipment service technicians, classifiers, proAction validators and milk testers, with employers such as Alta Genetics, WestGen, Holstein Canada, Alberta Milk, DeLaval, Lely and CanWest DHI. The major suits students who like cattle and technology equally and want a career in milk production.