There are many things students may think about during their college years. Perhaps it’s finals week, or that big football game. Maybe it’s getting an internship, or getting a date with a certain someone. Sophomore animal science major, Brooke Schmitz, has a whole different preoccupation. She gets up at 5:45 a.m. to milk a cow that may hold the key to curing Johne’s disease, which is primarily found in bovine.

“I just think it’s sad when this disease strikes a farmer’s livestock, it not only destroys their herd, it destroys their livelihood,’ Schmitz said.

Johne’s disease is spread through feces, placenta and colostrum, or milk. It makes the animal unable to retain nutrients and therefore lose weight until death. Schmitz first noticed the disease while working at a nearby dairy farm, and has subsequently worked on obtaining funding.

Schmitz has already received over $1,000 from UW-Platteville and the Miller Foundation to purchase the cow and some feed. However, she plans to apply for a grant from the United States Department of Agriculture to continue her research with a 100-cow herd. The cost of the research facility, land and employees would require a grant of $4.8 million, Schmitz said.

It’s estimated that this disease is at almost every small farm in Wisconsin. The fact that smaller farms can’t afford top-of-the-line feed, which is another way the disease spreads and the sheer amount of dairy farms in Wisconsin is why it’s so big in this state, Schmitz said.

Now why would a girl from Dubuque spend her time between two jobs and a full schedule milking and testing a cow to see if she can find a cure for Johne’s disease? To find the answer you’d have to talk to her dad, known as “Smiley.’

“If she hits this, it would be huge,’ said Smiley Schmitz. “It would definitely help out a lot of people.’

Brooke’s fiancee, Cody Ames, helps out with the operation by feeding and milking the cow that will someday be impregnated with an embryo that has been immunized with the Johne’s vaccination.

“It’s a great idea she has, and I hope it gets big. If it does, I’ll be right out here helping out,’ said Ames.

It may seem surprising to some that this research is happening at UW-P, or that this sophomore is taking on such a massive challenge, but to the ones that know her, it’s not surprising at all.

“I’m really proud of her, I guess I can’t ask for anything more,’ said Smiley Schmitz.