Cummings School Farm

The farm at Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University encompasses just over 200 acres of the 594-acre veterinary school campus. In use since 1980, the farm raises beef cattle, sheep, dairy replacement heifers, laying hens, corn and hay. The animals are used in teaching at Cummings School in a variety of core and elective courses for DVM candidates, veterinary technician students and prospective students in the Adventures in Veterinary Medicine program. While most of the animals at the Cummings School Farm are raised for food and fiber production, certain species are involved in research projects and other institutions temporarily house their animals with the Farm.

Teaching

DVM Candidate Courses

  • Clinical Skills I
  • Clinical Skills II
  • Clinical Skills III
  • Clinical Skills IV
  • Bovine Anesthesia and Surgery
  • Bovine Medical Procedures
  • Theriogenology
  • Farm Rotation
  • Heifer Watch Veterinary Technician Courses
  • Bovine Husbandry and Restraint
  • Porcine Husbandry and Restraint
  • Ovine Husbandry and Restraint

Veterinary Technician Courses

  • Bovine Husbandry and Restraint
  • Porcine Husbandry and Restraint
  • Ovine Husbandry and Restraint

Research

The staff and faculty of Cummings School Farm utilize it as a working laboratory to make new discoveries about animal and human health, as well as ways to make farming more profitable, environmentally conscious, and sustainable in New England and beyond.

A number of landmark agricultural biotechnology projects have been carried out at Cummings School, including many of the first studies on the production of human medication derived from goat’s milk, cloning of valuable livestock, and organ and tissue transplantation with swine.

More recently, Cummings School has been using the farm for research and development of unique premium livestock products to be adopted by local farmers to supply to local consumers. That branded program operates on campus as Azuluna Brands, LLC and has been funded for several years by the USDA. These conservation projects help to put livestock back on pasture, improve the land and create economically and environmentally sustainable programs to help farmers keep their land productive. Azuluna meats and eggs are currently being sold by select markets in New England.