A total of 69 students with interest in the dairy industry participated in the fifth annual Midwest Dairy Challenge, January 29-31, 2009, in Rochester, Minnesota.
The Dairy Challenge is an innovative competition developed by industry and university professionals, which exposes students to opportunities in a vibrant dairy industry. Working in four- or five-person, mixed-university teams, students assessed all aspects of a working dairy farm and presented recommendations for improvement to a panel of judges and the participating farm families.
This year’s contest, hosted by the University of Minnesota, included students from Iowa State University, Lakeshore Technical College, Michigan State University, Ridgewater College, Kansas State University, The Ohio State University, Purdue University, South Dakota State University, Southwest Wisconsin Technical College, University of Illinois, University of Minnesota, University of Wisconsin-Madison, University of Wisconsin-River Falls, Northeast Iowa Community College, and the UW-Madison Farm & Industry Short Course.
Judges chose two teams as platinum winners, the contest’s highest distinction.
The individuals who comprised these teams are: Clint Harre, University of Illinois; Tim Andrews, Lakeshore Technical College; Joe Pasch, Michigan State University; Brian Bagge from Northeast Iowa Community College; Paige Gott and Renee Starkey of The Ohio State University; Matt Wold from Ridgewater College; Jessica Berg, South Dakota State University; and Jordan Matthews and Phil Monson, both from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.