Put your classroom knowledge into action with real-world experience on our farms and in our research laboratories. Our farms and labs have several positions to help you gain that experience.

Please apply here:  Undergraduate Employment Application

Current Openings:

Help Wanted Over Fall to Winter break
Undergraduate Job Description
Dairy Research Trials
Dairy Research at Lincoln Avenue Dairy
Start November -Variable End Dates
Pay: $15/hour

Job Description:

A dairy nutrition research trial will begin in November and continue through winter break. Priority will be given to those with availability over the fall and winter breaks. Positions may start in November and can continue into the spring semester or longer. The trials take place at the Dairy Cattle Research Unit, located south of campus on Lincoln Avenue in Urbana, IL. Cows will need to be fed once per day and checked twice per day for the duration of the trial. Primary duties will include moving cows to and from the parlor, feeding, recording refusals, and pushing up feed. Other duties include collecting weekly milk and feed samples, collecting blood samples, weighing cows, and ultrasounds. On the job paid training will be provided. Shift begin at 5am, 1:30pm and 4:30pm mainly with other variable timing depending on the samples  required each day. The end times are not fixed, and some shifts will be longer or shorter depending on the sampling and care the cows need for the day (i.e. weighing, samples etc.). Must be able to work 6 hours a week minimum. The pay is minimum wage ($15) with full time students allowed to work up to 20 hours a week; 40 hours a week over the breaks. If you are interested, please contact Mary Miller at maryem@illinois.edu.

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Ruminant nutrition trial at the Dairy Research at Lincoln Avenue Dairy

Spring 2026-Summer 2026

Pay: $15/hour

Job Description: This will be a 63-day nutritional study with eight cows enrolled. The trial will take place at the Dairy Cattle Research Unit, which is located south of campus on Lincoln Avenue in Urbana, Illinois. The cows will need to be fed twice per day and checked four times per day for the duration of the trial. Primary duties will include recording feed intake, weighing feed refusals, pushing up feed, moving cows at milking times (4 a.m. and 3 p.m.), cleaning stalls, and maintaining a clean barn. Other duties include collecting milk, blood, fecal, and feed samples; weighing cows; performing health checks; and labeling and typing data. There will also be opportunity to analyze samples in the dairy focus laboratory. Morning shifts start at 3:45 a.m. (3:30 a.m. on milk sample days, with advance notice given) and evening shifts start at 2:45 p.m. Other treatment application and sample collection times will vary during the day, and those hours will be offered on a first-come, first-served basis. End times are not fixed; some shifts will be longer or shorter depending on the task required. *Required availability throughout December and January, including winter break.*
 

Job Duration: Begins Dec 1st 2025  - Ends Feb 5th 2026
Contact information: LCA3@illinois.edu