My name is Sarah Parsons. I recently graduated from the University of Guelph, with a Bachelor of Science, majoring in Animal Biology and minoring in Nutrition. I am currently doing my Masters of Science at the University of Guelph, in the Animal Bioscience department, under the supervision of Dr. Trevor DeVries, studying Dairy Welfare and Behaviour. From my experience working on dairy farms and helping with research projects in this area, my passion for the dairy industry was sparked, which led me to doing a Masters in this field.
My MSc research is specializing in weaning dairy calves off high levels of milk and investigating the optimal gradual weaning program and placement of solid feed, in order to increase feed intake and growth, and improve behaviour. I hope to finish my MSc in August 2019, and continue on to getting a PhD.
In my spare time, I volunteer as a puppy raiser for National Service Dogs, where I raise a puppy for approximately 2 years in preparation for them to be a certified service dog. I enjoy hiking with my dog and friends and exploring Ontario.