Angela George: Discovering how much that cow contributes to the bottom line

Field Note

Angela George ’26 is a masters student in the Animal Science Department and a researcher in the Dairy Cattle Biology and Management laboratory led by Julio Giordano , professor of dairy cattle biology and management. Giordano is also director of...
  • PRO-DAIRY
  • Animal Science
  • Digital Agriculture
  • Dairy
a woman points out data on a screen to a man

Grounds director leaves lasting legacy on campus landscape

Field Note

Unlike most world-class universities, Cornell’s campus sits between two gorges, surrounded by native landscaping, meadows and carefully managed turfgrass — not lost among the buildings and asphalt of an urban environment. “Mother Nature has...
  • School of Integrative Plant Science
schied with salt truck

Vipan Kumar: Fighting back against glyphosate-resistant weeds in NY fields

Field Note

Glyphosate – better known by the brand name Roundup – has been the go-to herbicide for commercial farmers in New York since it was introduced in the 1970s. However, several weed species have evolved resistance to the herbicide, and those weeds...
  • Cornell University Agricultural Experiment Station
  • School of Integrative Plant Science
  • Soil and Crop Sciences Section
  • Agriculture
  • Plants
Vipan Kumar in a water hemp field

Cornell student trip gives firsthand insight into beef industry

Field Note

Cornell PRO-LIVESTOCK and the Department of Animal Science hit the ground running in 2026 with two separate undergraduate experiential learning events spotlighting the livestock production industry. In January, a group of 11 Cornell...
  • PRO-LIVESTOCK
  • Animal Science
  • Animals
  • Meat
a group of people stand infront of a canyon landscape

With Cornell's help, Bec's Food Co. protein-packed pudding ready to launch

Field Note

Hale’s product isn’t your average pudding – it’s a low-sugar, high-protein treat catering to fellow fitness enthusiasts and others looking to incorporate more protein into their diet. While traveling in Europe, Hale came across more than a dozen...
  • Center of Excellence in Food and Agriculture
  • Cornell AgriTech
A white cup with a blue label on the side.

Chris Sitko modernizes sports field management at Cornell

Field Note

From premier golf courses in New England to research fields in Ithaca, New York, Chris Sitko has spent his career cultivating safe and high-performing playing surfaces. Now in his role as manager of golf facilities and sports turf at Cornell...
  • School of Integrative Plant Science
  • Horticulture Section
sitko talking to class on athletic field

California Study Trip gives insight into modern agriculture's complexity

Field Note

by Harley Wolfanger '28 Where does our food really come from? That question followed our group throughout our agricultural expedition to California this past January. I decided to embark on this trip because I wanted to understand how the...
  • Dairy Fellows Program
  • Animal Science
  • Agriculture
  • Animals
  • Dairy
three woman stand together eating orange slices

Jocelyn Nashtatik: Connecting environmental sustainability & animal science

Field Note

by Jackie Swift Jocelyn Nashtatik ’28 is a sophomore in Animal Science with a concentration in pre-veterinary medicine. Currently she is an undergraduate researcher in the lab of Joseph McFadden , associate professor of dairy cattle biology. We...
  • Animal Science
  • Animals
  • Climate Change
  • Environment
a woman puts a sample into a bombcalorimeter

Aspiring to bring science to farmers around the world: Meet Gabby Garcia

Field Note

Hailing from Belize, Gabriela Garcia joined Cornell CALS’ Nutrient Management Spear Program (NMSP) as an intern in January 2026 from Zamorano University , located in Honduras. This semester, she will be working alongside Carlos Irias on the...
  • Animal Science
  • Agriculture
  • Field Crops
A woman smiles, posing for a photo.

Finger Foods Farm: Soups made with Upstate NY ingredients now in stores

Field Note

The Cookfairs, who began farming together in New Jersey in 2010 before relocating to Georgia and then to the Finger Lakes, where they grow a variety of organic vegetables, including kale, mustard greens, broccoli, cauliflower, squash, and...
  • Center of Excellence in Food and Agriculture
  • Cornell AgriTech
Four pints of soup in paper cartons

Jonathan Chai ’24: Exploring plants, insects and floral microclimates

Field Note

Jonathan Chai ‘24 worked for two years as an undergraduate research assistant in the lab of Robert Raguso , professor of neurobiology and behavior. Raguso’s lab made the first discovery that insects are attracted to plants as much by humidity as...
  • Cornell University Agricultural Experiment Station
  • School of Integrative Plant Science
  • Agriculture
  • Biodiversity
Jonathan Chai in a green house with datura and squash flowers

Elizabeth Zhang: Living the dream

Field Note

Elizabeth Zhang ’26 is a senior in Animal Science with a concentration in pre-veterinary medicine. Currently she is an undergraduate researcher in the lab of Heather Huson , associate professor of animal genetics. We sat down together to talk...
  • Animal Science
  • Animals
  • Genetics
a woman holds a vial of liquid in a lab

Research drives sustainable turf management

Field Note

In 2025, evidence-based turf solutions from Cornell’s Bluegrass Lane research center and field sites across New York advanced environmentally sound athletic field and golf course management. The turfgrass program at Cornell University continues...
  • School of Integrative Plant Science
  • Horticulture Section
mowing green test plots

Data takes the guesswork out of nutrient management: Grid soil sampling

Field Note

Soil testing is a crucial part of efficient, effective crop production, allowing for farm decision-makers to consider different nutrient management strategies based on their soil test results. Cornell’s Nutrient Management Spear Program (NMSP)...
  • Statistics and Data Science
  • Agriculture
  • Field Crops
  • Soil
A man standing in a crop field.

Real-world experience is shaping me into the clinician I want to become

Field Note

by Sydney Zarb ’27 As an undergraduate in Cornell Animal Science, with the goal of becoming a veterinarian, I want to more deeply understand solutions that benefit cows, the environment and the people that depend on them. I am particularly...
  • Animal Science
  • Animals
  • Bacteria
  • Dairy
a woman in a lab coat stands holding a petri dish

Sydney Jewell: Discovering how disease changes gene expression in cows

Field Note

Sydney Jewell ’26 is a doctoral student in the Animal Science Department working in the lab of Heather Huson , associate professor of animal genetics. Sydney’s research focuses on epigenetics – the changes behavior and environment can cause to...
  • PRO-DAIRY
  • Animal Science
  • Animals
  • Genetics
  • Dairy
a woman sucks up fluid with a pipette in a lab

From dairy to trailblazing career in public service: Ashley Randle ’11

Field Note

This year, Ashley E. Randle ’11, commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources, led the effort to launch the first “Year of Youth in Agriculture” in Massachusetts, with the goal to engage youth in farming. The initiative...
  • Animal Science
  • Agriculture
  • Animals
  • Land
headshot of ashley randle

Rebecca Stup: Recruiting flowers to combat weeds, promote biodiversity

Field Note

Rebecca Stup ’23, MS ’26, is a master’s student in the lab of Antonio DiTommaso , a weed ecologist and associate dean and director of the Cornell University Agricultural Experiment Station (Cornell AES). DiTommaso’s lab has been exploring...
  • Campus Area Farms
  • Cornell University Agricultural Experiment Station
  • Musgrave Research Farm
  • School of Integrative Plant Science
  • Agriculture
  • Biodiversity
Rebecca Stup in front of a field

USDA intern Sabine Paz-Le Draoulec ’26 supports tribal ag initiatives

Field Note

Sabine Paz-Le Draoulec ’26, an environment and sustainability major from Hastings-on-Hudson, New York, spent her summer in Washington, D.C., with the United States Department of Agriculture through its Future Leaders in Public Service Internship...
  • Agriculture
  • Environment
Sabine Paz-Le Draoulec headshot

Refining RuFaS: Predictions are only as good as the data behind them

Field Note

Haowen Hu ’26 is a doctoral student in the Animal Science Department working under the supervision of Kristan Reed, former Animal Science faculty member and the scientific director of the RuFaS project. His main research focuses on the Ruminant...
  • PRO-DAIRY
  • Animal Science
  • Digital Agriculture
  • Dairy
a man crouches in front of a line of dairy cows