Week 4

This was my last week at the internship. Actually, my work days only consisted of Monday through Wednesday since I was going back to Toulouse on Thursday. Like always, my work was the same. I milked the cows, cleaned up after them, and cleaned the facility.

This time, I got to see a tractor unload seeds. These seeds are used for the crops that this farm also deals with. Basically, it was my job to make sure that every bit of the seed was transported to the building. I got inside the trailer and swept up the remaining seeds to make sure they all go through the machine.

Another task I had to do was clean the manure. The trailer helped a lot in cleaning it up, but I had to clean the parts that the trailer could not get to. Straws have been layered on top of each other multiple times, and the build up gets pretty dirty. This manure was then transported to a trailer.

Week 3

This was my last full week of interning at this farm. Basically, my duties were pretty much the same. Milking the cows twice a day, cleaning up after them, and cleaning up the facility.

For the first time ever, I learned how to drive a tractor. My boss and I drove two tractors. One for picking up the hay barrels, and the other for collecting the hay barrels. These hay barrels are used for the cows during the winter time, when the temperature is much colder. The tractor I drove was similar to a tractor; there was a trailer behind the tractor itself that stored all of the hay barrels. At first, I found this to be a very difficult task. However, with more practice, it got easier.

Week 2

During my second week of the internship, my duties remained the same. I continued to milk the cows, clean up after the cows, and feed them food and water.

The thing that was different, however, was that I got to pay a visit to their local veterinarian. As mentioned before, I stayed in a small town in France called Annay. The population of this town is about 400 people, so this was the only veterinarian that was available to these people. While the veterinarian was checking up on his patients, I would observe. Honestly, it was difficult and at times frustrating because they only spoke French and I only understood basic French, so I did not understand the situation. However, it was interesting because I could see the veterinarian give vaccinations or antibiotics, band aid up any wounds that the animal had, etc.

Week 1

So this is how my schedule goes everyday. I wake up at 6:30 am Monday through Friday. Work starts at 7:00 am and I go until 12:30 pm. I get an hour and a half lunch break. Then, I resume work from 2:00 pm to 7:00 pm. On Saturday, I would only work for the first part of the day. This week was special though, because this would be my free weekend.

The very first and very last thing I do every day that I work is milk the cows. These cows must be milked twice a day. The dairy farm contains 20 milking machines and about 250 cows. The milks were all collected in a large milk tank. Me, along with two other interns, helped in milking the cows. We had an unspoken system of first, cleaning the cows' teats with a hand towel that was soaked in warm water and soap. Then, we insert the teat cups into the teats of the cows. After five or so minutes of collecting the milk, we spray the teats with some substance. This process takes about two hours to do.

During my first week of interning, my other tasks included cleaning after the cow's poop, feeding the cows water and food, building an electric fence that cows will be transported to in the future, hauling rocks, and mulching crops. My tasks varied each day. The only thing that stayed constant was the milking schedule. Of course, the cows had to be fed every day, but I was not necessarily responsible for that task on a daily basis.

Gaec des Picards Overview

As I mentioned before, I interned at a dairy farm located in Annay, France. This dairy farm is called Gaec des Picards. This farm specializes in the production of milk and crops. As an intern, my job was to assist wherever it was necessary. My tasks included: milking cows, cleaning after them, feeding them, etc. I learned many things about the dairy industry during my stay here. 

 

My Arrival in France

Bonjour!

This summer, I stayed in France for 2 months, and it was INCREDIBLE.

I started my adventure in Toulouse, France and stayed there for the month of June. During this time, I was taking courses in Purpan, the University that we studied at. I was with 49 other study abroad students at this time. The majority of us were from the United States. However, there were also students from Lebanon, China, and Mexico. The classes we took included: Europe (Culture/Agriculture), European Animal Production, Agricultural Studies, and French.

Afterwards, for the month of July, all 50 us were split up into different internships that took place in various parts of France. We had the option of interning at either a farm or at a vineyard. I chose the farm option. We all also lived with a host family. This way, we could experience the French working style, as well as their daily life. I got choosen to work at a dairy farm located in Annay, France. The dairy farm was called Gaec des Picards, and it specialized in the production of milk.

For this blog, however, I will be discussing the internship portion of the study abroad program.