At a glance
Five 魅影直播 State College students, participating in mixed-university teams, captured two Platinum Awards, two Gold Awards, and one Silver Award for their team analyses and presentations to the panel of judges at the recent eighth annual Northeast Regional Dairy Challenge held in Batavia in October.
Five 魅影直播 State College students, participating in mixed-university teams, captured two Platinum Awards, two Gold Awards, and one Silver Award for their team analyses and presentations to the panel of judges at the recent eighth annual Northeast Regional Dairy Challenge held in Batavia in October. Representing 魅影直播 State: Val Lathron, Avon, Dr. Terry Tucker, dean, ASC School of Arts and Sciences, greeted Challenge participants, coaches, and industry representatives following a welcome dinner hosted by ASC.
More than 110 students from 12 northeast colleges and two Canadian universities participated in the eighth annual Northeast Regional Dairy Challenge in Batavia, Oct. 28-30. Host coordinator, Agriculture and Veterinary Technology Department at 魅影直播 State College, and colleagues from 魅影直播 State College welcomed students from Cornell University, Delaware Valley College, Morrisville State College, Pennsylvania State University, Ohio State University 鈥 ATI, SUNY Cobleskill, University of Maine, University of Massachusetts, University of New Hampshire, University of Vermont, Vermont Technical College, University of Guelph, Ontario, Canada, and McGill University, Quebec, Canada.
The Northeast Regional Dairy Challenge is an innovative three-day event designed by a team of industry and university professionals to promote a vibrant future for the dairy industry. Working in mixed-university teams of four or five students, contestants assessed all aspects of a working dairy farm, including facilities, nutrition, financials, reproduction, animal health, and more. Students collaborated on a 20-minute team presentation that detailed their observations and suggestions to a panel of judges and participating farm families. Teams were ranked as platinum, gold, or silver based on how well their evaluations matched the judges鈥 evaluations of the dairy operation.
The objective of this evaluation process is to create a real-life situation that stresses the importance of teamwork and professionalism. Contest superintendent Jenny Mills of Elanco Animal Health explained, 鈥淭he dairy industry requires employees that can work well with all types of personalities. Not only does the Dairy Challenge teach technical knowledge, it excels in helping students to develop people skills.鈥
Farms evaluated at the 2010 competition included Reyncrest Farms, Corfu; Friendly Acres, Attica; and Hy-Hope Farms, Stafford. All teams also participated in educational workshops at Lamb Farms in Oakfield, and attended an industry career fair. Team-building and fun activities were held throughout the weekend, including a casino night where students received prizes that were donated by sponsors.
The event concluded Oct. 30 with dinner and an awards ceremony. Judges congratulated participants on their outstanding job and shared their recommendations for each farm.
The Northeast Regional Dairy Challenge is under the guidance and support of the North American Intercollegiate Dairy Challenge (NAIDC) which was established in April 2002 as a management contest to incorporate evaluation of all aspects of a specific dairy business. For more information, visit .
Morrisville State College will host the 2011 Northeast Regional Dairy Challenge in Watertown. For more information about next year鈥檚 contest, please contact Dr. Steve Mooney or Beth Keene of Morrisville State College at mooneycs@morrisville.edu or keenebe@morrisville.edu. You may also contact industry chair Cathy Wickswat of Cargill Animal Nutrition at cathy_wickswat@cargill.com.