Photo Story: Life, death and birth on Witter Farm

The students get to work at 6 a.m. and leave at 10:30 p.m. or later. They are there for the birth, life and death of the animals they take care of. These students work on Witter Farm, also called the J. Franklin Witter Teaching & Research Center, located only a five-minute drive from campus.

Emily Tacuri (left) pets a cow while Emma Carlsen (right), a third-year AVS student shovels manure at 6:40 a.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2026. A lot of the chores performed by the students are cleaning up after the cows, as well as supplying them with fresh hay, grain and silage — a type of fermented feed. Isla Rocca / Maine Campus

As part of their classes, animal and veterinary science (AVS) students work on Witter Farm, in Old Town, Maine. Though it is a part of their education, Rose Arsenault, a second year AVS student, describes the farm chores as being “More of an unpaid internship than a class.” Despite this, these students know that the skills they learn here will be essential, as they learn how to take care of the cows and manage their health.

Fourth-year AVS student Emma Aiello leads Ethyl, the mother of Eggo, to the “robot,” an automatic milking machine, at 7:10 a.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2026. Aiello started as a paid employee on the farm after working there for her classes. Aiello’s duties include training students and performing various chores, such as teaching the cows to use the robot. Isla Rocca / Maine Campus

The schedule can be grueling. There are four shifts throughout the day: “AM chores,” which start at 6 a.m.; “Noon Check,” which starts at 11 a.m.; “PM chores,” which start at 4 p.m.; and “Night Check,” which starts at 10 p.m. Students are often awake by 5 a.m. to get ready, and those who work late can be there until 11 p.m. or later. Their schedules are built around their other classes, which can lead to a lot of early morning and late-night shifts. This is the case for Briana Alves, a second-year AVS student who said she works an average of two to three shifts a week, mostly consisting of “AM chores” and “Night Check.”

Rose Arsenault (left) and Briana Alves (right), both second-year AVS students, talk over Rhapsody, who is blocking the doorway to the Robot Barn at 12:10 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 18, 2026. Cows are often uncooperative, with Livestock Operations Manager Chelsea Carr describing cows as being “like a 2000 lb toddler.” Isla Rocca / Maine Campus

The job can frequently be taxing, both mentally and physically. Emma Carlsen, a third-year AVS student, said “I really don’t like being here when it’s cold.” The weather on the farm is a common complaint among students, who have to be there in the cold and heat, rain and shine. The students also have to deal with the reality of farm life. Alves stated that one of the hardest things for her was losing Wynonna, a 3-year-old cow, who died following an accident involving another cow.

Second-year AVS student Rose Arsenault pets Juicebox, one of the bull calves, in the Calf Barn at 9:50 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2026. The students on the farm become very attached to the calves. Briana Alves, another second-year AVS student, said of Inchworm, a cow born in January 2026 that, “she’s my baby.” Isla Rocca / Maine Campus

However, farm work is not all bad. The students become quite attached to the cows, with Alves saying that her favorite part of the job is getting to cuddle the cows, and Carlsen stating that “I just love interacting with the animals; I love learning their little quirks.” Their attachment to the cows can make the work emotionally taxing, particularly as they care for their favorite calves through birth, life and death. But still they persevere. Day and night, rain and shine, in sickness and in health, the students of Witter will be there.