Members of the winning team were Nick Skala, Matt Anderson and Dustin Wallace; their combined score placed them ahead of 39 other student teams from the upper Midwest.

The World Forage Management Cup is designed to increase the participants' knowledge of forage production and utilization. The contest has three phases: a written exam, identification of plants and seeds and evaluating the quality of forage samples.

Agricultural clubs and teams of high-school age students from the U.S. and Canada are welcome and eligible to participate.

The annual contest was organized and managed by students and faculty of the University of Wisconsin-Platteville chapter of the Agronomy – Soil and Water Conservation Club with the support of the World Dairy Expo and interested forage industry sponsors.

The official contest results were as follows:

Team Awards:
• First Place Team – Hillsboro, Wisconsin, FFA will receive a $250 scholarship award sponsored by Winfield Solutions.
• Second Place Team – Lancaster, Wisconsin, FFA will receive a $125 scholarship award sponsored by AgSource Laboratories.
• Third Place Team – Denmark, Wisconsin, FFA will receive a $75 scholarship award sponsored by Forage Genetics International.

Individual Awards:
First Place Overall High Score – Travis Luxton of the Weston FFA chapter in Cazenovia, Wisconsin, will receive a $250 scholarship award sponsored by Dairyland Seed Company.

First Place High School Senior – Travis Luxton of the Weston FFA chapter in Cazenovia, Wisconsin, will receive a $500 scholarship from the Crop Science Society of America and an additional $200 scholarship from the University of Wisconsin-Platteville Agronomy – Soil and Water Conservation Club (contingent upon attending the University of Wisconsin-Platteville with an agricultural major).

Second Place Individual was a tie – Eric Coddington of the Montello, Wisconsin, FFA chapter and Tim Eddy of the Amherst, Wisconsin, FFA chapter will each receive a $125 scholarship award sponsored by Ag-Bag and the National Hay Association.

Third Place Individual – Rene Schmidt of the Lancaster, Wisconsin, FFA chapter will receive a $75 scholarship award sponsored by AgSource Laboratories.

First Place Forage Judging High Score – Cody Kropp of the Denmark, Wisconsin, FFA chapter will receive a $75 scholarship award sponsored by the National Hay Association.

First Place Written Exam High Score – Eric Coddington of the Montello, Wisconsin, FFA chapter will receive a $75 scholarship award sponsored by Ag-Bag.

First Place Identification High Score – Tim Eddy of the Amherst, Wisconsin, FFA chapter will receive a $75 scholarship award sponsored by Forage Genetics International.

In addition to the knowledge gained, all participants in the World Forage Management Cup contest received gifts from the Crop Science Society of America.

Contest superintendent Dr. Kris Mahoney of the University of Wisconsin-Platteville noted that interest in the contest and forages is growing as evidenced by increased student registration and industry support. 

Dr. Mahoney appreciated the generous new and returning sponsors of the 2011 World Forage Management Cup and is always seeking new sponsorship opportunities to help make the 2012 contest bigger, better and more informative for our future agricultural leaders.  FG

—World Forage Management Cup press release

PHOTOS
Photos courtesy of Kris Mahoney