About the Livestock Nursery

THIRTY-ONE YEARS TENDING TO THE STATE FAIR FLOCK

This month, Ben Norman will do what he has done every August for 31 years -- take a bunch of students to the California State Fair in Sacramento. But this gang is not going for the corn dogs and deep-fried Snickers bars.

Norman, an extension veterinarian emeritus, and his team of UC Davis veterinary students are going to work. They will perform health checks for all 7,000 animals at the event, run a cow and goat milking tent and oversee the ever popular livestock nursery. They will also provide other services, such as testing animals to make sure they are safe to be eaten.

This year, 35 veterinary and animal science students -- will work in shifts so that at least some will be present to supervise animals 24 hours a day, seven days a week for the duration of the fair, which runs from August 17 through September 3.

Working the fair is a huge commitment for Norman and his students. He began planning for this year's event last October. His students started training more than three months ago, learning how to properly examine the cows, pigs, goats and sheep and how to interact with the public. Many of the future veterinarians are not used to working with livestock, so the fair is a valuable experience.

"For about half the students," Norman said, "this is the only large animal experience they'll have."

Although Norman spends plenty of time at the fair during the first week, the students run the show. Many of them have worked the event for three years. They are responsible for transporting animals, organizing shifts, doing veterinary work and mingling with fair-goers.

By far the most popular attraction that the vet students manage is the livestock nursery. Pregnant animals are housed at the fair and receive round-the-clock attention. When one goes into labor, the animal is placed on a stage surrounded by bleachers, and a veterinary student gives a commentary to the assembled crowd. More than 100 calves, piglets, goat kids and lambs are typically born each fair.

Those who will not make it out to the fair can also keep an eye on the livestock nursery from their computers. A webcam allows users to watch four pens where cows, pigs, goats and sheep are giving birth. The Web users can change the focus and direction of the webcam, offering hours of fascination.

The Food Animal Field Service of the Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital and the California Animal Health and Food Safety Laboratory provide additional support and services. The Department of Animal Science provides some animals for the exhibit. Funding support comes from Cal Expo's livestock program.

The livestock nursery can be found south of building C at the Cal Expo
Fairgrounds in Sacramento. Look for the webcast at http://www.vetmed.ucdavis.edu.