UMaine Students Apply Training at Regional Dairy Challenge
Nine University of Maine students participated in the 14th annual North American Intercollegiate Dairy Challenge (NAIDC) held in Liverpool, New York in April.
In total, 274 students from 38 colleges across the U.S. and Canada who are training for careers in the dairy industry attended the event.
The Dairy Challenge is a two-day competition for students representing animal and dairy science programs at North American universities. It enables students to apply theory and learning to a real-world dairy farm, while working as part of a team.
Victoria Bobbe, Caitlin Morgan, Sierra Perry and Jeff Vigue, students in the UMaine School of Food and Agriculture, were coached by animal and veterinary science professor David Marcinkowski in the competition.
Challenge participants visited six dairy farms in New York to help farmers evaluate and adapt management to optimize success and animal care. Students also learned about cutting-edge research, new programs and career opportunities from industry professionals.
Teams developed a farm analysis and recommendations for nutrition, reproduction, milking procedures, animal health, housing and financial management for an area dairy farm. The teams presented their recommendations to dairy producers and industry experts.
In its 14-year history, NAIDC has trained more than 4,700 students through the national contest, Dairy Challenge Academy and four regional contests conducted annually.
UMaine students Gianna Dettorre, Patricia Donovan, Emily Fortin, Clinton Peebles and Heather Theriault participated in the Dairy Challenge Academy, which was developed in 2013 to expand the educational and networking event to more college students.
Academy participants also analyzed and developed recommendations for operating dairy farms; however, the academy consisted of mixed-university teams with two advisers.
The NAIDC was established as a management contest to incorporate all phases of a specific dairy business. Its mission is to develop tomorrow’s dairy leaders and enhance progress of the dairy industry by providing education, communication and networking among students, producers and agribusiness and university personnel.