Sixty-one students from seven western U.S. and one Canadian university traveled to Everett, Washington, for the 8th Annual Western Regional Dairy Challenge, Feb. 28 – March 2, 2013. It was the last of four regional competitions leading up to the North American Intercollegiate Dairy Challenge (NAIDC), April 4-6.
Working in mixed-university teams of five or six students, participants assessed all aspects of a working dairy farm, including facilities, nutrition, financials, reproduction, and animal health.Students collaborated on a 20-minute team presentation that detailed their observations and suggestions to a panel of judges. Teams were ranked based on how well their evaluations matched the judges’ evaluations of the dairy operation.
Along with the competition, students were treated to educational workshops on silage management and safety by Dr. Keith Bolsen, Professor Emeritus Kansas State University, and social media and public relations by Michele Ruby of DMI, Inc.
Jim and Andy Werkhoven welcomed the teams to their farm on Friday and participated in a question and answer session with students. Team-building and fun activities were held through the weekend to encourage networking among students and agribusiness sponsors.
The national contest was hosted by Michigan State University, Ohio State University and Purdue University in Fort Wayne, Indiana. This year, the program's impact was broadened with the addition of the Dairy Challenge Academy, which ran in conjunction with the national Dairy Challenge contest.
Both contest participants and academy participants started together on Thursday, April 4. Then the two groups parted ways: contest participants begin the competition while academy students continued educational work, working with academy advisors to experience first-hand how to evaluate and consult on a dairy farm.
For more information and photos of the national contest, visit NAIDC's Facebook page. PD
—From Western Regional Dairy Challenge news release
