COW-Lifornia Girls

The Food Animal and Reproduction Medicine (FARM) Club at the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine recently won a new, handheld digital ultrasound machine in a national competition among veterinary medicine university organizations. After initial entries of photos and an essay — which were judged on knowledge, creativity, and desire for the machine — the contestant list was narrowed to the top eight universities. Those eight then had to create a short video which would be voted on by the public.

The FARM Club’s “COW-lifornia Girls” (spoofing the popular “California Girls” by Katy Perry) proved to be the most popular video. After a widespread marketing campaign, the FARM Club’s video garnered more than 2,000 votes out of a total of 8,000 for all eight videos. Being the only entry from the state of California, the FARM Club reached out for promotional help to a wide network of closely connected organizations that were eager to support a California cause, including the California Beef Council, the California Veterinary Medical Association, California 4-H, CBS13 Sacramento Evening News and Good Day Sacramento.

The ultrasound machine will provide an invaluable experience to FARM Club members, and other students, for years to come. It will allow UC Davis veterinary students early exposure to ultrasonography and become proficient with ultrasound technology before the clinical portion of their studies begins.

The UC Davis FARM Club provides extracurricular learning and networking opportunities for students interested in production medicine. The club promotes the belief of providing the utmost care for animals, while working to ensure a healthy, wholesome and safe food supply to benefit consumers. The FARM Club teaches students about the unique responsibility veterinarians have to bring sound scientific evidence to future clients and to educate the consuming public about the food they eat. This mission begins in veterinary school and continues throughout a career as a food animal practitioner.