MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Meet the newest “calf” at West Virginia University, a $7,000 simulation calf.
Farm Credit of the Virginias, through its Charitable Contributions Program, gave the unique gift to the WVU Reymann Memorial Research, Education and Outreach Center in the 2024 spring semester to be used for the United States Army Special Forces trainings hosted at the center multiple times a year.
Military personnel going into the Special Forces come to West Virginia University to work with professionals at J.W. Ruby Memorial Hospital and Davis College of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Design for a two-day training.
“We can demonstrate how you handle animals and how you hold a bird, but we can’t simulate a calf in distress in the birthing process,” farm manager Jerry Yates said.
The life-size calf has working joints, with spine and limbs that bend, and weighs 50 pounds. It allows participants to practice techniques in birthing such as what to do when a foot is improperly positioned or if the calf is backward in the birth canal. Likewise, dystocia, caused by an awkwardly positioned calf, a small maternal pelvis or failure of the uterus to contract, is a life-threatening issue that requires human intervention.
“They reach in blind and fix it, and that’s as close as you’ll get to real life,” Yates explained. “We want to immerse the participants in what they could face, and that’s how they learn best.”
Instead of using a simulation cow, the center uses a simulated uterus and birth canal.
“Anything we can do to create an experiential hands-on learning opportunity to help them see how things work and come together is extremely beneficial. With this gift, they’re able to practice until they get it right — just like many other aspects of their training,” Yates added.
The Davis College professors, staff and WVU Extension agents teach participants about animals as well as the human animal bond they will encounter on their military deployments and missions.
“That human animal bond is not as widespread within our culture as it is in others,” Yates said. “The ability to connect with indigenous peoples is a building block of trust. Being comfortable with animals in those peoples’ lives helps create that trust.”
Yates said that such knowledge has proven useful for previous participants.
“Being able to care for animals to help the people in a community is a huge way to build relationships,” Yates explained. “There has been a lot of intelligence gathered and information shared because of successful animal-human interactions.”
WVU is the number one chosen training site among the top six percent of each training class. Because of the popularity of the program, which is in part due to it being the only large animal facility, the time spent at the Reymann REOC will increase by two hours for future trainings.
“It’s a hugely valuable program but not in terms of quantity," Yates said. "It takes a lot of manpower dedicated to only six people eight times a year. The potential benefit of the program to our military and our country’s interests is phenomenal.”
Since using the calf, Yates said the only problem they’ve had is deciding on a name. The public is invited to help name the new calf by filling out a short survey. Submit your name suggestion by May 30, 2024.
“It’s not the cutest thing, however, it is extremely realistic,” he added.
The Davis College of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Design envisions a world sustainably fed, clothed and sheltered. To learn more about the Davis College, visit davis.wvu.edu. Keep up with the latest updates and news on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube by following @WVUDavis.
-WVU-
Ls/05/16/24
MEDIA CONTACT: Leah Smith