Supervisory responsibility for the care of the agricultural animals on the G.H. Cook Campus is assigned to 'working' supervisors reporting to the Farm Manager (Clint Burgher, M.S.) for the agricultural animals. Responsibility for the laboratory animals is assigned to Comparative Medicine Resources. Click here for contact information for each unit.
Main Administrative Office:
The main administrative office for the Animal Care Program is located at:
Bartlett Hall, Room 103
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
84 Lipman Dr.
New Brunswick, NJ 08901-8525
848-932-9415
Clint Burgher (Farm Manager) has an office in this space along with a central bookkeeping and recording keeping area managed by the Department of Animal Sciences business office.
Animal Units
Laura Comerford, A.S., LAT, supervises the care of all the agricultural animals on the Cook Campus Farm. There are five full-time salaried research animal workers and 6-10 hourly student farm workers under her supervision. The animals on the Farm include beef cattle, chickens, goats, horses, pigs, and sheep. The cattle, goats, pigs, and sheep are raised as production animals, producing offspring throughout the year. The number of breeding age animals are 15 cattle, 25 goats, 25 pigs, and 20 sheep.
Equine Unit
Horses
The number of horses on campus averages around 20 with varying ages and breeds depending upon faculty research, teaching and demonstration needs. There are also 3 horses housed full time as part of the student 'mounted patrol' safety program under the auspices of the Rutgers Police Department.There are currently 3 barns located within 1 mile of each other housing horses on the G.H. Cook campus. Each has a varying number of stalls and outside pastures with run-in sheds for shelter.
- The Ryders Lane Facility has 18 stalls with provisions for equine wash down and a heated employee shower/bath room and a research office for investigators.
- The West-Side Red Equine Barn has 14 stalls with provisions for a wash down bay, sink, counter top on concrete slab sampling area and a heated bathroom. The east side has a high-speed equine treadmill and 4 holding stalls and full HVAC controls. In addition there is a full function bench top laboratory and computer room used in support of the physiological exercise studies conduced in this area. Standard operating procedures for Dr. McKeever's equine exercise laboratory are filed with his approved protocol and posted in the barn.
- The Student Mounted Patrol Barn has 6 stalls with provisions for wash down and heated break room/office area.
Cattle Unit
Currently there are approximately 15 adult cattle consisting of Registered Angus and Hereford beef cattle. The cattle are bred by artificial insemination. Offspring are raised on site and used for teaching and demonstration purposes. The cattle are raised for beef or as replacement broodstock. The herd is expected to increase to 15-20 brood cows over the next 5 years.
Pigs, Sheep, and Goat Unit
The animals are housed in groups within the following buildings and facilities.
Swine Facilities
- Swine Farrowing House
- Swine Finishing Deck
- Gestating Sow Feeding Platform
Sheep and Goat Facilities
- Sheep and Goat Facility
- PSARF Small Mammal Building
- PSARF Goat Building I
- PSARF Goat Building II
- PSARF Solar Barn
- PSARF Contest House
- PSARF Feed Storage Building
- PSARF Brooder Building
Farm Shop and Cropping Unit
Dan Rossi supervises the operations of the farm shop with the help of two salaried research farm workers. Job tasks and responsibilities include facility maintenance, customized research equipment and facility upgrades, machine and equipment repairs, pasture, fencing maintenance. Facilities included in this unit are:
- The Main Farm shop (aka the Blacksmith Shop)
- Hay Drier Storage Shed
- Farm Shop Bedding Storage