Alice Newth ’82 and Carrie Chickering-Sears ’84 love their work—and workplace—at Hadley Farm.
The Office: Hadley Farm
Two alumnae, 200 head of livestock, and tomorrow’s animal doctors
On a recent tour of Hadley Farm, 4-H campers met the team of Alice Newth ’82, livestock barn manager, and Carrie Chickering-Sears ’84, a UMass extension educator, camp director, and a member of the Veterinary and Animal Sciences department. Kindred spirits, they banter like sisters. One example: On tour, Newth uses technical words such as dermatitis, a condition that necessitates some sheep to be separated from the flock. On cue, Chickering-Sears pipes in, “Hey kids, what is dermatitis?” keeping the protégés engaged.
The farm, a 131-acre parcel, is just minutes from the high rises of Southwest Residential Area, with views of campus and gently rolling hills.
Chickering-Sears recruits the next generation of veterinarians and workers for the animal husbandry industry to attend UMass. Her list of duties: organize camps for young people, co-teach a college seminar, field farmers’ questions, or find experts with answers. Those closest to Chickering-Sears say her greatest asset is the vast network of contacts in the agricultural communities of New England and across the country, a network she uses to find internships and jobs for students.
Once new students enroll, Newth takes over, teaching them hands-on barn skills from learning the daily care of animals to fixing broken wheelbarrows. Newth teaches students to administer medications, take samples, trim hooves, and fix fences. “She is definitely the barn mother. She is always saying, ‘Make sure you have your goggles on or watch out, that’s electric, don’t get that wet,’” says Cassandra Benjamin ’11. Each semester Newth trains and supervises about 140 students enrolled in introductory animal science.
Both women agree they have the best jobs—and workplace—on campus.