The practice of animal husbandry has been around for thousands of years, ever since humans first started domesticating animals. However, selectively breeding animals to produce desired traits was not established as a regular practice until the 18th century during the British Agricultural Revolution. Robert Blakewell was a British agriculturalist, and scientist, who established the first systematic selective breeding program for livestock.
Many individuals interested in pursuing careers in animal husbandry frequently get started as an apprentice, working for farmers and agriculturalists within the industry. However, most aspiring professionals get started by earning an associate, bachelor’s or master’s degree in Animal Husbandry, Farm Management or field of Veterinary Science.
Animal husbandry programs are designed to prepare students to care for, select, process, breed, and market livestock and small farm animals. They typically includes in-depth instruction in animal nutrition, basic animal science, and animal health as applied to various species and breeds; design and operation of feeding, housing, and processing facilities; and related issues of safety, logistics, applicable regulations, and supply.
The following colleges and universities provide majors and degree programs in Farm Management and Animal Husbandry.
- Black Hawk College Moline, IL
- Blue Mountain Community College Pendleton, OR
- Casper College Casper, WY
- Ellsworth Community College Iowa Falls, IA
- Hawkeye Community College Waterloo, IA
- James Sprunt Community College Kenansville, NC
- Jefferson Community College Watertown, NY
- John Wood Community College Quincy, IL
- Michigan State University East Lansing, MI
- North Carolina State University North Carolina State University
- Ohio State University Agricultural Technical Institute Wooster, OH
- Parkland College Champaign, IL
- Santa Rosa Junior College Santa Rosa, CA
- Sierra College Rocklin, CA
- Southern Utah University Cedar City, UT
- St. Mary-of-the-Woods College St. Mary-of-the-Woods, IN
- State University of New York College of Agriculture and Technology at Morrisville Morrisville, NY
- Tarleton State University Stephenville, TX
- Texas A&M University College Station, TX
- University of Connecticut Storrs, CT
- University of Idaho Moscow, ID
- University of Illinois at Urbana: Champaign Champaign, IL
- Utah State University Logan, UT