More than 110 students from 12 northeast colleges and two Canadian universities participated in the seventh annual Northeast Regional Dairy Challenge in Batavia, New York held October 28-30, 2010.
Host coordinator, Dorothea Fitzsimmons, and colleagues from the Alfred State College welcomed students from Cornell University, Delaware Valley College, Morrisville State College, The Pennsylvania State University, The Ohio State University – ATI, SUNY Cobleskill, University of Maine, University of Massachusetts, University of New Hampshire, University of Vermont, Vermont Technical College, University of Guelph from Ontario, Canada and McGill University from Quebec, Canada.
The Northeast Regional Dairy Challenge is an innovative three-day event designed by a team of industry and university professionals to promote a vibrant future for the dairy industry. Working in mixed-university teams of four or five students, contestants assessed all aspects of a working dairy farm, including facilities, nutrition, financials, reproduction, animal health and much more. Students collaborated on a 20-minute team presentation that detailed their observations and suggestions to a panel of judges and participating farm families. Teams were ranked as platinum, gold or silver based on how well their evaluations matched the judges’ evaluations of the dairy operation.
The objective of this evaluation process is to create a real-life situation that stresses the importance of teamwork and professionalism. Contest superintendent Jenny Mills of Elanco Animal Health explained, “The dairy industry requires employees that can work well with all types of personalities. Not only does the Dairy Challenge teach technical knowledge, it excels in helping students to develop people skills.”