15 minutes with University of Missouri grad student Hailey Hedrick

Hailey Hedrick grew up raising and showing Simmental cattle in her home state of Indiana, but a high school job in a local pork producer's farrowing house gave her a new interest. After time in the barn working with laboring sows and vaccinating, processing, and weaning pigs, Hedrick realized she wanted a career in the swine industry.

In her first semester as an undergraduate animal science student at Purdue University, Hedrick’s adviser, Kara Stewart, invited her to work on a pig research project. Stewart and her team wanted to under-stand gilt hormones during puberty.

“It was really cool to know we were doing a practical thing,” Hedrick recalls. “We were doing a research project, but it made sense on the farm. I really enjoyed that.”

Hedrick continued working with Stewart on swine projects at Purdue and, by her junior year, decided to pursue a master’s degree. Stewart put Hedrick in contact with Timothy Safranski, who she now works for as a second-year master’s student at the University of Missouri (MU).

Hedrick’s research at MU has focused on heat stress in sows. In her latest project, she and her team of undergraduate students tested different feed additives given to sows experiencing heat stress in late gestation.

SF: What do you enjoy most about your project?

HH: It’s very applicable to the real world, especially recently, as we’ve experienced a lot of heat waves. While we do have great technology in barns to help sows, we’re always trying to find other ways to further improve their productivity. And because I enjoy working on the farm, the fact that I got to come to grad school and do that for a select time (part of my time is spent in the lab analyzing samples) worked out well for me and my personality.

SF: Which experiences during your undergrad have been most helpful in your project?

HH: I had a couple swine production internships. I worked for New Fashion Pork’s Indiana South farms in summer 2020 and Pig Improvement Co. (PIC) at their genetic nucleus farm in South Dakota
in summer 2021. I felt comfortable making daily decisions in the barn based on my previous experiences, and I was able to teach my undergrads some of what we needed to look for to make sure all the sows were OK. Had I not had those experiences, I’m not sure we would have been as successful managing this project.

SF: What advice do you have for undergrads interested in research?

HH: Go to career fairs. They can be scary at first, but you can make so many connections. If you’re an undergrad interested in research but not sure how to get involved, talk to your teaching assistants (TAs). There’s a good chance they’re looking for help in their labs or on their projects, or they may know somebody else who is looking for help.

SF: Any other thoughts for a student who is considering a master’s program?

HH: Reach out to someone you work with or someone else who has knowledge in your area of interest. Identify what you like and don’t like. For example, I knew I wanted to be in the barns at least part of the time, not sitting in the lab all day. If you’re serious about a particular program, learn about the adviser and their expectations, talk to other grad students, and get a sense of the culture to find a good fit.

This article originally appeared in the SF College Edition magazine.