ASREC barn facility

Animal Sciences Research and Education Center (ASREC)

Student Employment Opportunities

Welcome to the Animal Sciences Research & Education Center (ASREC) web page for student employment opportunities. As part of Purdue's College of Agriculture and the Department of Animal Sciences, the mission at ASREC is to assist faculty and staff to meet overall objectives of research, teaching, and extension. ASREC employs students on a part-time basis to help cover labor needs, and it provides valuable work experience for students.

If you are interested in working at ASREC, please fill out an application. We normally employ students to work during regular weekday work hours (7 am to 5 pm), and up to 20 hours per week. Summer student employees can work up to 40 hours per week.

Please note that ASREC is located approximately 11 miles from campus! So, you will need your own transportation and need to account for travel time.

Purdue University
Animal Sciences Research & Education Center

5675 West 600 North
West Lafayette, IN 47906
Phone: (765) 496-4252 | Fax: (765) 583-4838

Farm Units and Employment Opportunities

ASREC consists of several units where students can be employed. You may want to check with the appropriate unit to see what help is needed.

 

Student Employment Application

Employment Opportunities by Unit

The Aquaculture facility is maintained by the Forestry and Natural Resources and Animal Sciences Departments. The facility houses from 18,000 to 27,000 native fish throughout the year. The addition of twelve quarter acre research ponds makes it the northern most research facility with outdoor ponds in the United States. Research topics include various species of fish pertaining to nutrition, fish diseases, fish reproduction, and genetics. The addition of the ponds have also enabled the Aquaculture Unit to have fish sales twice a year; one in the spring and one in the fall.

Contact: Bob Rode, 496-7910, rrode@purdue.edu

Aquaculture Unit Animal Caretaker Job Description

The Beef unit provides cattle for research projects including nutrition, metabolism, physiology, reproduction, meat science, and forage management. It is comprised of 130 acres of pasture, plus intensive feedlot research facilities at the Calvert Beef Farm. Another 850 acres at the Scholer Beef Farm serves as the cow/calf facility.

Contact: Brian DeFreese, 496-7922, bdefrees@purdue.edu

Beef Unit Animal Caretaker Job​ Description

The Dairy unit provides cattle for research projects of all types. The herd consists mainly of Holstein dairy cows with a few Brown Swiss being introduced into the herd. The cows are milked at 5:00 a.m. and again at 4:00 p.m. The observation deck, housed in the research building, is open for students or visitors who wish to watch the milking process.

Contact Tom Cully (765) 494-5319 |  tcully@purdue.edu

Dairy Unit Animal Caretaker Job Description

The Farm Operations unit plants close to 850 acres of corn, 200 acres of soybeans, and maintains 200 acres of alfalfa per year. The Farming unit provides feeds and support for the majority of the other units located at the Research Center. During peak times for farming, the other units will lend help to the farm crew to ensure timely planting and harvesting of crops.

Contact: Jeff Fields, 496-7283, jfields@purdue.edu

Farm Operations Student Laborer Job Description

The Feed Mill provides the feed for the majority of the units and for some departments on campus as well. Approximately 210 tons of feed are made monthly and all are custom mixed according to the specific diets called for in individual research trials. All feed is mixed according to the rules and regulations outlined in federal regulation codes.

Contact: Mike Zeltwanger, 496-3042, zeltwang@purdue.edu

Feed Mill Student Laborer Job Description

The Poultry unit provides birds and eggs for research. There are three types of buildings for research located at ASREC: a caged layer house, a caged grower house, and two floor type management houses. Research is done on chickens, quail, ducks, and turkeys.

Contact: Jason Fields, 496-7934, jsfields@purdue.edu

Poultry Unit Animal Caretaker Job Description

The Sheep unit has a breeding flock of 150 ewes with a year round breeding program. The sheep unit provides facilities for education and research. Sheep are transferred to different pasture and grazing sites during the summer grazing months.

Contact: Gerald Kelly, 496-3048, gkelly@purdue.edu

Sheep Unit Animal Caretaker Job Description

The Swine unit is made up of a breeding herd of 240 sows and 6-8 boars. Artificial Insemination is used to provide pigs for a wide variety of research projects. The Swine Research Laboratory provides rooms for baby pig research, physiological monitoring, metabolism, and environmental rooms.

Contact: Brian Ford, 496-3087, fordbd@purdue.edu

Swine Unit Animal Caretaker Job Description