The Dairy Unit located at Auburn University’s College of Veterinary Medicine maintains a functioning commercial dairy and is the only functioning Grade A dairy in Lee County. This partnership has been used to educate senior veterinary students since 1980.

Basic dairy management has been taught since the beginning of the dairy's lifetime, and since its opening has been known as a commercial agricultural enterprise.

Students gain an array of experiences during their dairy rotation time. Experience in feeding and milking, caring for growing calves and breeding protocols are all gained as an Auburn veterinary student. Along with the teaching opportunities provided, the dairy units facility is also suitable for housing and milking hospitalized cows.

“Animals hospitalized and treated with antibiotics are housed in stalls and milked in the parlor after the rest of the herd is milked, “said Dr. Herris Maxwell, a clinical professor in the College of Veterinary Medicine and manager of the Dairy Unit. “Milk is discarded until the FDA approved withhold time has ended.”

Local dairy producers can gain individual animal treatment and herd health consultations for their herds along with 24-hour emergency services. Around-the-clock care from board certified clinicians, residents, technicians and fourth-year veterinary students is provided for the hospitalized cows. The Dairy Unit is known for the quality care it provides patients and clients.

The herd at the Dairy Unit consists of around 35 mature cows, with a similar number of heifers being raised as replacements. Milk is then marketed by the Dairy Farmers of America (DFA), a dairy farmer-owned cooperative.

The DFA markets its members' milk products all across the United States. They work to sell milk and other dairy products wholesale. The DFA represents about 22 percent of raw milk production in the United States.

To be a part of the DFA as well as be considered a Grade A dairy, the unit must meet certain requirements. The sanitary conditions of the Dairy Unit must be sufficient to meet the standards of beverage consumption.

The Dairy Unit is also proud of the research projects it conducts. Students who get to work at the dairy unit are overwhelmingly prepared to go into the dairy industry from the experience they receive at the unit.“Recent research projects have focused on colostrum management practices and the use of a novel probiotic for mastitis prevention,” Maxwell said.

The research projects conducted at the Dairy Unit range from evaluating new milking protocols and techniques to Neonatal intensive care, including assisted nutrition and assisted respiratory ventilation. There is always something to learn in this growing field and students take full advantage of what the unit has to offer.