Hello, and welcome to my blog!
My name is Molly Mazza, and I am rising junior majoring in Animal Science. This summer, I am the intern at CCE Livingston County for the Horse Farm Improvement Program. I grew up riding horses, competing in Western Pleasure and Horsemanship through 4-H and Interscholastic Equestrian Association. I am now on the Cornell Western Equestrian Team and competing through the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association. My fondness for horses has begun to foster into a career during my college years, as I take on this project, implement my own ideas, and later pursue horse genetic research in a separate project back on campus.
Throughout this project, I will be visiting and assessing horse farms to identify strengths and opportunities for improvement. The program has nine assessment categories, including Business Management, Manure Management, Pasture Management, Facilities, Biosecurity, Horse Health, Human Safety, and Nutrition. When enrolled in the program, farm managers will complete a pre-visit questionnaire and receive an in-person assessment. By compiling responses from the pre-visit questionnaire and my comments from the assessment, I complete a feedback form with suggestions to be implemented on the farm. My first assessment was at my supervisor Ken’s farm last week, and my second assessment will be tomorrow! As of current, there are ten farms enrolled in the program, but Ken and I are actively working to recruit more farms.
In the meantime, while I am not assessing farms, I am working on sorting our 46-page recommendation master document into each category to be given to farms that request more in-depth assessments in specific areas. Secondly, I am conducting online research to implement questions and suggestions relating to pest control. Lastly, of course, I am contacting farms and preparing for my in-person visits. I am looking forward to seeing the implementations farms make through this program!
Molly Mazza