During this externship students will be able to follow accompany a licensed veterinarian to various livestock farms and see how Animal Welfare Approved (AWA) audits are performed. These audits include an assessment of animal welfare, as well as and may also involve review of different standards and policies related to grass-fed, organic, or and non-GMO certification. AWA has developed standards for a wide variety of domesticated livestock species, including dairy and beef cattle, dairy and meat sheep, dairy and meat goats, pigs, laying hens, broiler chickens, turkeys, ducks, and geese and bison. Students will have the opportunity to learn how farmers working with a variety of species make management decisions that affect animal welfare, economics, farmer well-being and their local ecosystems, and the trade-offs involved in this decision making process.

In addition to farm visits, students will may also have the opportunity to meet with local veterinarians or other providers who are knowledgeable about support animal health and welfare in organic and/or pasture-based production systems. They will observe first-hand some of the stresses and struggles experienced by farmers striving to optimize human, animal and ecosystem health, and will also be able to learn about how veterinarians can apply standards, audit process, summary report verbal and written communicationswriting process to enhance farmer knowledge while supporting continuous improvement in food animal well-being. Finally, students will , and have the opportunity to write a report about a topic of their choosing related to animal welfare.

PLEASE NOTE: This rotation does not always take place in the same location! Students can discuss where they would like to perform audits and what species they would like to work with with Dr. Burton.