Madison, WI, April 7, 2008 – 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.
The North American Dairy Challenge was established as a management contest to
incorporate all phases of a specific dairy business. It strives to incorporate
a higher learning atmosphere with practical application to help prepare
students for careers in the dairy industry. Supported financially through
generous donations by industry and coordinated by a volunteer board of
directors, the first NAIDC was held in April 2002. In 2009, NAIDC will be held
March 29-30, in Syracuse, N.Y. For more information about NAIDC, log on to www.dairychallenge.org.
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