It was a clean sweep for the Big 10 at this year’s North American Intercollegiate Dairy Challenge (NAIDC), held April 4-5, in the Madison, Wis. area.

Teams from the University of Minnesota, Michigan State University, University of Illinois and Purdue University earned the highest award – First Place Platinum – in the Seventh Annual NAIDC.

Hosted by the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the event attracted a record number of 32 teams from the United States and Canada, challenging them to put their textbook and practical knowledge to the ultimate test – analyzing dairies. The contest started with a walk-through at the dairies, followed by the opportunity to ask questions of the owners and analyze farm-specific data. Student teams used this information to develop management recommendations, and then presented their management recommendations to the herd owners and a panel of five dairy industry judges.

Each of the First Place Platinum team members received $200 scholarships.

The University of Minnesota’s team members included Amber Hazel, Evan Van Beusekom, Matthew Rosenfeld and Melisa Bauer. Marcia Endres coached the University of Minnesota team. Michigan State University’s team, coached by Marcus Hollman and Miriam Weber-Nielsen, included Andrew Reinker, Ashley Messing, Christine Hadley and Laura Zeldenrust. The University of Illinois’ team members included Elizabeth Johnson, John Mitchell, Matthew McCoy and Steven Fluty. Kate Cowles coached the team. Purdue University’s team, coached by Mike Schutz, included Brandon Miller, Craig Blough, Rob LaFollette and Steve Hein.

Second Place Platinum award winners, who received $100 scholarships, included: Iowa State University’s Doug Bjelland, Kate Phipps, Matt Jaschen and Tim Rauen, coached by Lee Kilmer. The Ohio State University team included Anton Henry, Eric Weitzel, Jesse Whinnery and Stephanie Metzger. Maurice Eastridge coached the team.

Kansas State University also earned a Second Place Platinum award; team members included Billy Brown, Darrel Rezac, Kristen Schulte and Michelle Sullivan, coached by Mike Brouk. Additionally, the North Dakota State University team earned a Second Place Platinum award. Team members were Christine Drake, Jayme Fiesel, Karissa Brobst and Kendra Hinnenkamp, with Dan Schimek serving as the coach.

Gold Awards (in random order) were presented to teams from Penn State University, Virginia Tech, University of Vermont, South Dakota State University, University of Wisconsin-Platteville, University of Guelph, California Polytechnic State University, University of Wisconsin-River Falls, University of Maine, University of Florida, Delaware Valley College, Cornell University, University of Idaho, University of Wisconsin-Madison and Louisiana State University.

Teams (in random order) from the University of Maryland-College Park, Washington State University, University of New Hampshire, California State University-Fresno, Southern University A&M, Alabama A&M University, Clemson University, North Carolina State University and University of Massachusetts received Silver Awards. PD