Agriculture and Natural Resources > ANSC
Menu

Campus Farm

Campus Farm

The Department of Animal and Avian Sciences (ANSC) Campus Farm is nestled in the College Park Campus adjacent to the ANSC building and just down the road from the Xfinity Center.  The ANSC Campus Farm is considered to be the “jewel” of the department as it provides essential hands-on learning opportunities for our students and it serves as a showcase for the Animal Sciences discipline to all campus visitors.

ANSC Farm Virtual Tour

Student Experiences on the Farm

Students become shepherds in the Sheep Management course in the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources. Caring for our Campus Farm's flock and raising more than two dozen lambs each spring, these dedicated students work around the clock to watch over pregnant ewes and assist births at any hour.

Farm Facilities

Dairy Barn

The Dairy Barn is actually our multi-species, multi-use barn. It is used to house pigs, sheep, quarantined horses, beef cattle, and, of course, dairy cattle. There are tie-stalls with a milking system that allows lactating dairy cattle brought in from our off-campus Dairy in Clarksville, MD to be used during hands-on milking laboratories. The barn features an outdoor livestock ring that serves to house and handle livestock. The livestock ring is also where pigs, lambs, dairy heifers, and beef cattle are shown on Ag Day in front of thousands of visitors to our campus. 

Horse Barn

The Horse Barn serves as the major hub for our equine-related courses and for the Maryland Equestrian Club (MEC). Students acquire real-life hands-on skills while caring for and feeding our horses as well as two broodmares that give birth to foals each spring.  Members of MEC take riding lessons in our outdoor riding ring from professional instructors. The Horse Barn features 7 stalls, areas for grooming, bathing, and storing feed, hay, tack, and equipment. Horses are turned out into paddocks and/or pasture when not used for teaching or riding. Nearby Acredale Community Park provides a beautiful backdrop during trail rides.

Sheep Barn

The Sheep Barn is bustling with activity during the school year. This barn houses our flock of Katahdin hair sheep which are bred for meat, parasite resistance, and breeding soundness. The ewes are bred in the fall to produce lambs in the spring which are shown at the Ag Day show. Students in the Sheep Management course assist in the care and management of the flock including lambing during the spring semester.

Chicken Coop

The Chicken Coop is a small poultry house used to house chickens for our Introduction to Animal Science and Poultry Management labs. It has also been used for poultry behavior studies by our research faculty.

Campus Farm Office

The ANSC Campus Farm office is centrally located on the ANSC Campus Farm, just a stone's throw from the sheep and horse barns. You may hear it fondly referred to as the "the Shack" by students and faculty. The building houses the office of the ANSC Campus Farm Manager as well as providing meeting, break room, and restroom facilities.

General Information

Our Campus Farm

The ANSC Campus Farm is used primarily for teaching in ANSC classes and student organizations. Throughout the year, the ANSC Campus Farm is home to horses, sheep, and dairy cows, with pigs, chickens, beef cattle, and dairy heifers being temporary occupants. The farm features 3 main barns, a poultry house, two outdoor teaching arenas, an equipment storage shed, and an office building. The ANSC Campus Farm Manager, Assistant Manager, “Farm Crew,” farm volunteers, and interns work diligently to keep the animals healthy, ensure the teaching laboratories are running smoothly, and to keep the facility in tip top shape for our many visitors. The Farm Crew is a group of paid undergraduate students who assist the ANSC Campus Farm Manager with the day-to-day operations while gaining valuable practical farm experience to make them competitive in today’s job market. Students can also gain more experience on the farm by volunteering or applying for management internships and by taking the horse care practicum class.

The Campus Farm is also home to our annual Ag Day livestock fitting and showmanship show. Always held on the last Saturday in April, Ag Day is one of the best ways for students to gain hands-on experience with a variety of livestock species right here on campus!

Campus Farm Staff

The ANSC Campus Farm Oversight Committee meets regularly to address farm issues, discuss policy, plan future renovations, and provide guidance to the ANSC Campus Farm Manager. The committee is made up of 3 faculty, 1 staff member, 1 undergraduate student, and the ANSC Campus Farm Manager.

Farm Manager: Megan McLeaN CalloWay

Megan McLean in front of stone wallMy experience with livestock started with horses. I've been riding horses since I was young and worked with therapeutic riding horses when I was in high school. Originally when I went to college at Virginia Tech, I planned to study Chemistry, but my desire to work with animals led me to change majors to Animal and Poultry Sciences. Whenever I was home from college, I worked at George Washington's Mount Vernon with their Livestock division and gained experience with a wider variety of livestock including mules, pigs, sheep, poultry, and cattle. After undergrad, I went to the University of Missouri to complete a Masters degree in Animal Sciences focusing in beef cattle reproduction. From 2018-2022, I taught as the Animal and Avian Sciences Lab Course Coordinator at the University of Maryland teaching a variety of lab courses such as Principles of Animal Sciences Lab and Physiology of Mammalian Reproduction Lab. As farm manager, I enjoy applying my knowledge of Animal Sciences and continuing teaching with the Sheep Management lab.

Ag Worker: Gracie Siegrist

Teaching

Three students work with sheep.

The ANSC Campus Farm utilizes two outdoor sand footing teaching arenas. The smaller ring, known as the "livestock ring", is used for housing livestock, teaching laboratories, and during livestock shows. The larger ring, called the "riding ring", is used primarily during equine-related teaching laboratories and for riding lessons and in-house shows organized by the Maryland Equestrian Club.

Visitors

The Campus Farm is open to visitors 8 am – 6 pm daily. Visitors are welcome to walk around the public areas of the farm without an escort. Guided tours of the ANSC Campus Farm for prospective students can be arranged through our ANSC Undergraduate Office. Group tours for middle and high schoolers, scout, FFA, and 4-H groups can be arranged through our ANSC Campus Farm Manager. Unfortunately, we are not able to safely host younger groups or groups larger than 40. For younger or larger audiences, we encourage you to explore other local agricultural education opportunities which may be found here: https://marylandsbest.maryland.gov/

Directions:

  • From 193 (University Boulevard) or Metzerott Road enter the University of Maryland campus via Paint Branch Drive. At the first stop sign turn right onto Regents Drive. At the next stop sign turn left to continue on Regents Drive. After 0.1 miles the Campus Farm will be on your right.
  • From Route 1 (Baltimore Ave) coming from the south turn left onto Campus Drive. At the "M" traffic circle take the first right onto Regents Drive. Continue for 0.3 miles. The Campus Farm will be on your left.

Parking on the campus farm is restricted to farm staff, please visit the UMD Department of Transportation for more visitor parking information.

College of Agriculture and Natural Resources
© 2018-2025 College of Agriculture and Natural Resources | AGNR Home
Web Accessibility | Privacy Policy

University programs, activities, and facilities are available to all without regard to race, color, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, marital status, age, national origin, political affiliation, physical or mental disability, religion, protected veteran status, genetic information, personal appearance, or any other legally protected class.