Between fields: Skylar Cooper ‘26 finds love of large animal medicine in ag

Animal Science
Environment
Dairy
Crops

Skylar Cooper ‘26 has worked with the Cornell CALS Nutrient Management Spear Program (NMSP) as part of the dairy sustainability team since beginning her undergraduate career studying animal science. Cooper strives to become a large animal veterinarian. Her experience with NMSP and agricultural research has been invaluable in helping her understand the effort dairy farmers devote to raising and managing their cattle sustainably.

Read on to discover more about what she learned and where she hopes to go from here.

What inspired your passion for agricultural veterinary medicine?

Growing up in southern New Jersey, I worked on a family farm where I got to grow a few crops and care for chickens, horses and other farm animals. I have always known I wanted to be a veterinarian and work with animals, and my experience in agriculture is what sparked my interest in large animal medicine.

Ambulatory vets that I have interned for, and those in the area where I grew up, always had to drive hours from place to place– it seemed like there just weren’t enough around to cover the significant demand. One of my goals is to lighten the load on large animal vets so that the best animal care can be provided.

How did you join NMSP?

I was already interested in sustainability and the role of large animals in agriculture, so NMSP seemed like a natural fit. I was able to discuss my interests, goals, and what I was hoping to learn with Dr. Quirine Ketterings, and she found a spot for me on the dairy sustainability team that aligned with my aspirations.

I worked for this team under NMSP Research Associate Olivia Godber from fall of 2022 until fall of 2024.

Three women standing next to each other smiling. — NMSP leader Dr. Quirine Ketterings (left), Skylar Cooper (middle) and Research Associate Dr. Olivia Godber (right).

What were your responsibilities as part of the NMSP team?

I’ve done a little bit of everything when it comes to hard skills, given that I’ve worked on a few different projects over the last couple of years. I’ve conducted literature reviews, done some coding, made graphs, reviewed farmer input sheets and digitized data. Dr. Godber always gave me a lot of autonomy when it came to pursuing my research interests and choosing what I would like to dedicate my time to.

A group of people sitting around a table in a conference watching a presentation. — Skylar Cooper (far left) attentively watches as one of her colleagues presents their work at the weekly NMSP team meeting. Photo by Quirine Ketterings.

What was your favorite project to help out with?

My favorite task was working on the nutrition and byproduct project. This project was a perfect overlap between my interests and Dr. Godber’s, a subset of the nutrient mass balance project.

Tell us more about nutrient mass balances and the project you were working on.

Nutrient mass balances reflect the efficiency of nutrient cycling on a farm– how nutrients move within a farm and where they may be lost in the system.

Many farmers come to NMSP to have their nutrient mass balance assessed. This them see where there may be opportunities for improvement.

Graphic figure describing the different nutrient imports and exports that can be on a dairy farm. — Graphic figure describing the nutrient imports and exports on a dairy farm. Source: Olivia Godber.

Purchased feeds tend to be a big driver for farm nutrient balances because they are imported rather than grown on the farm (introducing nutrients to the farm’s nutrient cycle). But, many of these purchased feeds are made of ingredients that are byproducts or waste products, like spent brewer’s grain. If these waste byproducts had not been used by dairies to produce milk, they likely would have gone straight to the landfill. This means that purchasing or “importing” these nutrients to the farm is environmentally friendly in a way that is separate from nutrient cycling.

This was something that Dr. Godber and I felt was worth investigating. We found that if we broke down purchased feeds into waste and non-waste products, it would more accurately reflect the sustainability of the farm, taking into account those recycled nutrients.

It was interesting and helpful to engage with this idea actively, and I really felt like I had the opportunity to make an impact for farmers.

What were some highlights of working with your mentors?

While I’ve worked under Dr. Godber since the beginning, my first close collaborative experience was with recent PhD graduate Agustin Olivo. He made me feel very comfortable with trial-and-error, asking questions, getting help with technical skills, Excel and more. Between him and Dr. Godber, I was able to explore the scientific process with my professional goals in mind. I also really appreciate Dr. Ketterings for giving me the opportunity to step into the lab.

How has your time with NMSP impacted your interests and long-term goals?

Working with the NMSP team gave me the opportunity to better my research skills, explore what it might be like to pursue a career in academia and work with a collaborative team. It helped me solidify my career goals and hone in on the field I’d like to focus my medical training and practice on in the long-term. My dream is to attend Cornell’s veterinary school, but I’m currently applying to veterinary schools all over the country.

A woman hugs a horse. — Skylar Cooper embraces a horse.

While horses will always have a special place in my heart because of my time raising horses and horseback riding competitively, I’ve been able to learn a lot more about the dairy industry through NMSP. You could say I caught the “dairy bug.”

I’ve always wanted to contribute to animal welfare in a number of ways, and I think my main focus going forward will be a mixed medicine practice, including dairy cattle, or maybe even a strict focus on dairy cattle medicine.

Madeline Hanscom is a writer for the Nutrient Management Spear Program.