Dairy Students Visit New York Dairy Farms in National Competition
New York State is home to nearly 3,500 family owned and operated dairy farms. So, it’s no secret to why the North American Intercollegiate Dairy Challenge is heading to Saratoga Springs for their National Competition. For more than 20 years, students studying dairy and animal science from across the country have competed on a regional and national basis to become the leaders of tomorrow. Dairy Challenge enhances the progress of the dairy industry through education, communication, and networking among its stakeholders. On March 30, more than 250 students, representing states including California, Wisconsin, Iowa, New York, and even Canada will gather for the National competition.
Saratoga Springs, New York is known for its world-class horse racing experience. However, it doesn’t take much time to dig a little deeper to find dairy farms lining the rural countryside. As an agricultural powerhouse region in New York State, the dairy industry is proud to welcome hundreds of students for their national competition. Dairy Challenge focuses on inspiring tomorrow’s dairy leaders, today. Developing an agricultural workforce is an essential part of creating an economically stable industry and one that provides sustainable opportunities for generations to come.
More than 2,000 students have competed nationally, by working as a team, to apply theory and learning to real-world dairy farms. Each student competitor will tour local dairy farms, analyze their business, collaborate on recommendations, and present their findings. Working together as a team is the baseline for why Dairy Challenge was created more than two decades ago. Industry leaders saw an opportunity in developing the next generation of agriculturists. Students were graduating college with knowledge but lacked specific skills on working together to understand modern dairy farming. The solution was Dairy Challenge. University teams will evaluate a dairy then present their findings to a panel of judges. These judges, who represent various aspects of the dairy industry, provide guidance and feedback to the students. The judges also evaluate the dairy. These evaluations are shared with the dairy owner for their consideration.
In addition to Dairy Challenge, the Dairy Challenge Academy is another opportunity for additional students to travel to Saratoga. The students participating in “the Academy” are practicing for the potential of competing regionally or nationally in the future. Dairy Challenge has connected dairy science students and universities with producers and industry professionals, simply through collaboration and communication.
A key reason for the success of Dairy Challenge is the talent that comes together in a single room. The goal remains the same as it did on day one – to inspire and develop the next generation of dairy leaders. Claire Mulligan, dairy farmer in Avon, NY, represented Cornell University in 2014 in the Northeast Regional event. This year, she’s volunteering her time at the national competition. She said, “The Dairy Challenge taught me to work productively with people I may not know very well (or have just met), and to find the strengths of each contributing member of a team. I also learned the importance of asking probing, open-ended questions to get to the root of any issue or concern that the dairy had.”
Couple the competition with the opportunity to network with sponsors, local farm owners, and industry professionals, and the impact is endless. Kelsey Neckers works for Farm Credit East and competed nationally in 2016 while representing Cornell University. She encourages current students to, “take the time to build your network. There are lots of students and industry professionals to meet that you end up working with throughout your career.” As alumni of the program, Mulligan and Neckers, understand the important role that Dairy Challenge can play in a local community, a greater industry, and an improved tomorrow.
The New York dairy industry is top notch. It’s filled with some of the brightest students, leaders, and farmers in the country. The Dairy Challenge is an opportunity for local farms and businesses to recruit future employees, promote the industry that feeds us, and support the next generation. Typically, state and national champions are recognized on the football field or basketball court. When you depend on agriculture for your livelihood, recognition in the field or in the barn means a bit more. For Dairy Challenge competitors, this is an opportunity to shine above the rest, learn in-depth skills, and network with industry professionals. If you’re interested in joining the efforts that Dairy Challenge provides through sponsorship, volunteering, or learning more, please contact Molly Kelley, Executive Director at mollyk@dairychallenge.org or visit www.dairychallenge.org.