Fourth
Southern Regional Dairy Challenge Draws 76 Students From 16 Schools
Dec. 4, 2009
A
total of 76 students from 16 southern colleges and universities participated in
the fourth annual Southern Regional Dairy Challenge, November 19 through 21 in
Russellville, KY. The Southern Regional Dairy Challenge is an innovative two-day
event designed by professionals from allied industry and university educators to
bring classroom training to life in the real world for students preparing for
dairy careers.
The
University of Kentucky, Western Kentucky University, and Eastern Kentucky
University co-hosted the 2009 contest, drawing participants from Alabama
A&M University, Berry College, Clemson University, College of the Ozarks,
Eastern Kentucky University, Lake City Community College, University of Florida,
University of Kentucky, Louisiana State University, Mississippi State
University, North Carolina State University, Santa Fe College, Southern Illinois
University, Virginia Tech, West Virginia University, and Western Kentucky
University.
“The
regional Dairy Challenge, while offering a competitive format, educates
undergraduates students about the dairy industry itself and allows them to apply
the concepts they have learned in the classroom to a real farm situation and
then defend their practical recommendations,” says contest planning committee
co-chair Donna Amaral-Phillips of the University of Kentucky. “Students
learn a great deal in the process.”
Maury
Cox, Executive Director of the Kentucky Dairy Development Council, described the
Southern Dairy Challenge as a "first class event that provided great
interaction with dairy industry mentors and leaders of tomorrow. It was
personally rewarding to see such enthusiastic, professional young people."
A
key objective is to present students with a real-life situation that stresses
the importance of teamwork and professionalism. Teams of students from the
different universities were formed to conduct a comprehensive evaluation of a
working dairy farm. Afterwards, teams presented their analysis and prioritized
opportunities for improvement to a panel of expert judges and the dairy owners.
Hosts for this year’s Southern Regional Dairy Challenge were Jimmy and Andy
Woodall, Lewisburg, KY and Lee, Denise, Adam, Chris, and Eli Robey, Adairville,
KY.
What
They Did During The Challenge
Students
arrived at the Logan County Extension Office on the evening of November 19.
After check-in and registration, participants were split into mixed-university
teams. Teams got to know each other over dinner and then participated in
team-building exercises led by Dave Winston from Virginia Tech University.
Winston worked with students to discover their teams’ strengths and
capabilities, examine ingredients of effective teams, and evaluate team
members’ personality styles. “I was impressed with the camaraderie that
developed among students from different institutions after only being together
for such a short period of time,” comments Winston. Later that evening, teams
received detailed production, financial, nutrition and reproduction records.
On Friday morning, the teams left for their farm visit to evaluate cows,
facilities and management practices. After a two-hour farm visit, teams returned
to the hotel to analyze their data and develop recommendations for improvement.
Each team prepared a 20- minute presentation that detailed their observations
and suggestions. The evening concluded with an Ag Olympics event at the Logan
County Extension Office to provide the student a chance to relax through a
lighter competition including events such as a feed sack race and a hay bale
toss. On the program’s final day, each team presented its evaluation and
recommendations to a panel of industry judges. Teams were ranked as platinum,
gold or silver, based on how well they worked as a team and how effectively
their presentations of strengths and opportunities for the dairy operation
matched the judges’ evaluations. When teams were not presenting, they toured
the farm they had not evaluated for the competition. The Dairy Challenge ended
with dinner, entertainment and an awards ceremony at the Logan County Extension
Office.
Awards
Dairy
Challenge teams are named in recognition of sponsoring businesses and
organizations.
Receiving
first place Platinum awards were:
· Team
Logan County DHIA: Courtney
Wilson, Eastern Kentucky University; Dustin Phipps, Virginia Tech University;
Angel Henderson, Mississippi State University; Jessica Leonard, North Carolina
State University; Jake Anderson, Louisiana State University.
· Team
Neogen Corporation: Wesley
Dyer, Western Kentucky University; Elaine Suever, Mississippi State University;
Allison Vignes, Louisiana State University; Marissa Navarro, University of
Florida; Samantha Schell, Southern Illinois University - Carbondale.
Second
place Platinum awards went to:
· Team
Venture Milling-Precision Dairy Nutrition: Ethan
Bloomfield, West Virginia University; Lucas Krueger, Alabama A&M University;
Brandi Walker, Mississippi State University; Alex Steer, Virginia Tech
University.
· Team
Kentucky Dairy Development Council: Brady
Core, University of Kentucky; Mallory Eidson, Berry College; Sara Neumeister,
Eastern Kentucky University; Danielle Perkins, Alabama A&M University; Emily
Hetherington, Santa Fe College.
Gold
award teams were:
· Team
Dairy Farmers of America Southeast Council: Anthony
Bonazza, Berry College; Curtis Coombs, University of Kentucky; Kelley Johnson,
University of Florida; Zach Lyons, Virginia Tech University; Ana Ferrer,
Mississippi State University.
· Team
Land O'Lakes Purina Feed:
Seth Mizell, Louisiana State University; Frank Smody, Southern Illinois
University - Carbondale; Amelia Teague, Berry College; Beka Chmielewski,
University of Kentucky; Rachel Pomeroy, North Carolina State University.
· Team
Renaissance Nutrition: Dare
Shepherd, Virginia Tech University; Hayley Hollier, Louisiana State University;
Kimberly Hencken, University of Florida; Brittiany Pool, Southern Illinois
University - Carbondale.
· Team
Estrotect, Inc.: Leslie
Hash, Clemson University; Adam Parsons, North Carolina State University; Timothy
Stroud, College of the Ozarks; Ashleigh Thomas, Mississippi State University;
Deborah Mondt, Southern Illinois University - Carbondale.
·
Team
Robey Farms: Matt
McCombs, West Virginia University; Clint Cambre, Louisiana State University;
Patricia Fledderman, University of Florida; Tabitha Crouch, Clemson University;
Decima Washington, Alabama A&M University.
·
Team
Evonik Degussa:
Rosemary Liskey, Virginia Tech University; Ashley Fairchild, North Carolina
State University; Katelyn Hlusko, West Virginia University; Katie Sheaffer ,
University of Kentucky; Andrea Sassard , Clemson University.
Teams
receiving Silver awards were:
· Team
Winchester Farms (Kroger): Leslie
Johnson, Alabama A&M University; Janet Deem, West Virginia University;
Nathaniel Keith, Eastern Kentucky University; Sarah Cashion, Mississippi State
University.
· Team
Select Sire Power: Jason
Bolte, College of the Ozarks; David Kirkland, Santa Fe College; Desnatie
Reynolds, Alabama A&M University; Kristen Glosson, North Carolina State
University; Ivy Roberts, Berry College.
· Team
DSM: Weldon
Nipper, Louisiana State University; Kristin Heilmeier, University of Kentucky;
Lauren Ellison, Lake City Community College; Curtis Rhoderick, Virginia Tech
University.
· Team
ABS Global: Beth
Hudson, Western Kentucky University; Jennifer Devine, Berry College; Carilynn
Gravatte, University of Kentucky; Ashley Dozier, Alabama A&M University;
Eric Isley, North Carolina State University.
· Team
Arm and Hammer Animal Nutrition: James
Patrick Allen, Eastern Kentucky University; Rachel Smith, Virginia Tech
University; Nicholas Jenkins, University of Florida; Aaron Crutcher, Alabama
A&M University.
· Team
Alltech, Inc.: Jessie
Nickerson, West Virginia University; James Pearson, North Carolina State
University; Candace Munz, University of Florida; John Baston, Western Kentucky
University; Heather Wright, Alabama A&M University.
Afterwards,
most students echoed the comments of one individual who said, “This was a
great experience dealing with the dairy industry, developing and participating
in a team, and analyzing data. Also, it was a good way to relate the
classes taken at school to a 'real world' setting. ” Another individual stated
that "this was by far one of the highlights of my college experience.
The chance to interact with students from all over the southern region as well
as a variety of farm managers and industry professionals was invaluable."
About
Dairy Challenge
The
Southern Regional is one of four regional contests under the guidance and
support of the North American Intercollegiate Dairy Challenge™. The NAIDC
mission is to facilitate education, communication and an exchange of ideas among
students, agribusiness, dairy producers and universities that enhances the
development of the dairy industry and its leaders.
Mississippi
State University will host the 2010 Southern Regional Dairy Challenge. To become
a Southern Regional sponsor, contact Gary Hay at ghay@agcenter.lsu.edu. All
contributions are tax-deductible to the full extent of the law. Contributing
sponsors are recognized on the Dairy Challenge web site, as well as programs and
news stories issued throughout the year.
The
2010 North American Intercollegiate Dairy Challenge™ contest will be held
April 8-10 in Visalia, California. For more information, visit
www.dairychallenge.org or contact Molly J. Kelley, Executive Director, at naidc@wdexpo.com.
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