Her roles on the Campus Farm highlight care for animals and opportunities for students
Rose Cardinal on the Campus Farm
Image Credit: Jonathan Stephanoff
Rose Cardinal is looking forward to her first fall semester as the Assistant Coordinator of the Campus Farm. She joined the department in December 2021 and is enjoying all of the opportunities she has on the farm, but above all she loves working with the horses. According to Rose, “They are like my coworkers, it’s such a blessing to be with them every day.”
Horses have always been a huge part of Cardinal’s life, and part of how she came to UMD. She grew up in Sarasota, Florida and attended Florida State University where she majored in biology. After graduation, Cardinal worked in a small animal veterinary practice, followed by an equine veterinary practice. She then became the barn manager at a large post-racing thoroughbred farm with around 200 horses. Cardinal came to Maryland to work with Valerie Pride, a 5 Star eventer, before she started at the Campus Farm.
Some of her most memorable experiences here have been in last spring’s equine reproduction class (ANSC 237) when she helped Dr. Burk and the students with the birthing and care for two foals on the farm that she later led out to pasture for their very first time. Also, her first Maryland winter complete with a storm that covered the farm with several inches of snow.
Through 4H Cardinal gained some experience with farm animals such as dairy goats, in addition to horses. She had never, however, worked with pigs. “Their personalities are HUGE,” she said, adding “they have these toys they play with, then you become the toy when you jump in [their pen].”
Horses remain a core part of Cardinal’s life, and she is also training in three-day eventing with her own horse Eddie, an off the track thoroughbred that Cardinal has been working with since early this summer. They are training to compete in the ‘equestrian triathlon’ of dressage, cross-country, and show jumping.
Speaking to the future of the Campus Farm, Cardinal is looking forward to the new beef reproduction and management course that is being developed for Fall 2023, as well as the planned farm renovations and addition of a teaching pavilion.
Cardinal also coordinates the volunteers that work on the farm. Students interested in volunteering must go through training classes before getting to work on the farm, but it starts with emailing her at rosecard@umd.edu. Cardinal encourages students to take the ANSC animal management courses and to join the various clubs and organizations as ways to get to spend time working with the animals on the farm.
