Animal Welfare Practicum Student

Number of Credits: 6

Number of openings: 2 per term

Anticipated start date and end date: Sept to Dec (W1), Jan to April (W2), May to August (S1&2)

The Faculty of Land and Food Systems’ (LFS) Animal Welfare Program (AWP) is seeking two career practicum students to support the care of dairy cows and calves and learn operational practices at the UBC Dairy Education and Research Centre (DERC) in Agassiz, BC. This is a six-credit practicum during the summer term. Students will be required to reside at the UBC DERC, however a vehicle is not required.

The AWP team consists of Master and PhD students enrolled with the UBC Animal Welfare Program, as well as visiting international students and research assistants. The student will be working alongside the AWP research team under the direct supervision of one of two graduate students who will oversee their work as Field Supervisor.

Job Description

This position is a practical career experience. Students will not be required to complete a research project; rather they will be participating in the day-to-day care of farm animals involved in ongoing animal welfare research activities being undertaken at the UBC DERC. Students must complete the required academic components as prescribed by the Academic Supervisor for APBI 496.

The student will be mostly working with young dairy calves and adult dairy cows. This job will consist of significant amounts of large animal handling. Students must be comfortable working with large animals.

General Dairy Farm Duties:

Routine farm chores such as feedings calves, cleaning, bringing cows to milking robots etc.
Fitting activity monitors on cows / calves
Assisting in the training of dairy calves for behavioural research
Performing health check on calves
Scoring calf and cow behavioural measures from video

Qualifications

The ideal candidate will have:

Interest in dairy science and animal welfare
Excellent communication skills
Patient and respectful when working with animals
Animal handling skills; comfortable around large animals
Be able to adapt to a changing work environment
Attentive to details, organized, able to work in a group and to work independently at times
Self-motivated, positive, creative, willing to learn, enthusiastic
Able to carefully follow instructions, safety protocols, and SOPs
Student must be able to lift moderately heavy items (i.e. up to 40 lbs.) and be prepared to work on their feet daily, with early morning or evening shifts as needed

Student Learning Components

Orientation and Training

The student will receive an orientation and training from their Field supervisor, other designated individuals and from online resources. This includes:

Students will be provided with an on-site farm orientation by the Field Supervisor. This will include a tour of the facilities and a review of site-specific safety protocols.
Students will complete online training on cow handling and farm safety.
Students will complete online training on animal ethics for using farm animals in experiments.

Professional Development Objectives

The objective of this career practicum is to provide hand-on experiences which will help prepare students for a future career in the dairy industry. Specifically, the practicum will address the following three professional development objectives:

Individuals working in the dairy industry require a general understanding of farm operations. The student will be involved in routine farm chores and will be responsible for components of these daily activities. As the UBC Dairy Centre transitions to automated systems over the next year, the student will also have exposure to how these electronic systems will be integrated into existing operations.
Professionals whose work overlaps with or is part of the dairy industry (i.e. veterinarians, nutritionists, agricultural inspectors, animal handlers, research technicians etc.) must be familiar with many of the common skills which will be developed in this practicum (i.e. scoring calf and cow wellness, fitting monitors and tags, scoring body conditions). Many of these skills are either not currently taught in APBI courses or are taught at an introductory level; therefor the practicum will allow students to develop skills that they would otherwise not have access to.
Professionals working in the field of animal welfare (i.e. policy, law, research, agricultural operations) must be familiar with issues surrounding the monitoring of animal wellness and research activities. The student will learn about experimental design, research methods and current welfare issues in the dairy industry. The student will develop an understanding of modern dairy farming practices.

Course Content

The academic requirements of this course are outlined in the syllabus and are available on the course wiki: (Course:APBI496)

The Field Supervisor will work with the student to identify a communications project that meets both the program needs and the student’s interests. This could be in the form of a video, a training manual, a Standard Operating Procedure, or several other examples.

The successful student will work with the Academic Supervisor to ensure that assignments are approved and completed.

COVID-19 Protocols and Possible Impacts

Due to the location of the practicum, the student must be willing to reside at the UBC DERC (student housing) which requires a minimal monthly housing fee. Change in restrictions related to COVID-19 may happen depending on changes to public health restrictions and recommendations. Students selected for an interview will have an opportunity to review the safety protocols and their application at the DERC. Students must comply with the safety protocols in place throughout the duration of the course. Refusing to comply with the safety protocols could result in a removal from the practicum.

Students must note that public health circumstances may change over the duration of the practicum, which may result in some changes, including but not limited to, changes in the on-farm COVID-19 protocols, a shift in the day-to-day activities of the practicum, a complete shift to an on-line only model of practicum delivery (i.e. development of SOPs, additional communications work etc. rather than in-field activities).

Applications

Applications should be submitted to Malina Suchon at malina.suchon@ubc.ca and include a CV, a cover letter, and contact information for 2 references (relation to applicant, position, email).