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Hip-hop on the Farm

Students at the University of Georgia’s “teaching farm” name animals after rappers

 

      First they were named after former U.S. presidents, then after Spongebob characters. And now they are being named after some of America‘s famed rappers such as Jay-Z and P. Diddy.

      This fall, students working in a University of Georgia dairy farm are naming twelve calves after celebrity lyricists, reported a UGA student newspaper.

      The University Dairy Farm house, as it is called, already named one calf Coolio. While another male calf is named Ludacris.

      Red and Black, an independently run student newspaper on the campus of UGA, reported one student saying that they “ran out of boy names for the calves so we had to get creative.”

      Although some of the calves were named after clothing designers such as Dolce and Chanel, most have been dubbed rap stars.

      Most of the students working on the Dairy Farm are majoring in agricultural and animal science and are preparing to work in farming or as a veterinarian, said Mark Froetschel, a professor in the Edgar L. Rhodes Center for Animal and Dairy Science.

      There are 60 lactating cows on the farm, which is located 10 miles from the main campus, he said.

      About 10 students work on the “teaching dairy farm” and they perform various tasks, including feeding and caring for the animals, Froetschel said.

      ”Most of the labor on the farm is from students,” he said. “It’s very difficult getting into veterinary school. One of the things they must show is working with animals on their application. This is a great opportunity to get involved with working with animals.”

      Each calf is housed in an individual, six feet by six feet pen and “they all have a little hutch, like a little house,” he said. And during the daytime “because of bio security they’re not all in one building they’re out in the sunlight,” he said. “It’s much better for the calves’ health.”

      Every day at four o’clock in the morning and then at four o ‘clock in the afternoon, students milk the cows for about two to four hours, he said.

      ”That’s tough,” said Froetschel, referring to the early morning milking.

      ”The calves are separated day one from their moms,” he said. “We’re the foster mothers to the calves and the students love that.”

      Which is why the attending students choose to name the calves after their favorite music artists, he said.

      ”They’re just like pets,” Froetschel said.