On Thursday, we took an excursion to Frankenforst Research Farm to learn about the types of animal research that they do there. Upon arrival, we were given an overview of how the farm-half of the farm operates. We got to visit the cattle barns, the sheep pens, the chickens, and to Olaf's great delight, the pigs! Everyone was amazed by the size of the pigs in Germany. We asked about the use of growth hormones in Germany, but apparently they are outlawed in most of Europe! Olaf wanted to hold one of the piglets, and keep it as a pet, but unfortunately it didn't work out. We learned all about the breeding systems that they used at Frankenforst, and the progeny tests that they conduct. It was reall cool!
After learning about the animal side of the operations, we went to the research facilities and talked to the veterinarians and researchers that work there. We were able to talk to one of the veterinarians there about reproduction cycles in cows. To demonstrate, he brought out a plate full of ovaries that had follicles in different stages of development on them. We got to touch them, and even got to witness instant ovulation when he squished one! It was sort of disgusting, but he got his point across! We aso were abe to witness frozen sperm "coming back to life" under the microscope, which was fascinating! He even took us out to one of the barns to use sonograms to test if the cow were pregnant. Rebecca gets a special award for palpating a cow...
Overall, it was a great learning experience and I think that all the students got a lot out of it, even the human medicine people! Although, I think they were a little grossed out by a lot of what went on during the day. I loved Frankenforst, and I definitely recommend that it be included on next year's trip to Germany!
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