BOLTON, Vt., November 9, 2004-Students from 14 colleges across the Northeast gathered in Bolton, Vt., Nov. 4-6, to participate in the Second Annual Northeast Dairy Challenge. Hosts Don Maynard from the University of Vermont, Wanda Emerich from the Miner Institute, and Kyle Thygesen from Vermont Technical College welcomed students from New York, Vermont, Maine, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, New Hampshire and Maryland. This year’s event attracted 108 students – 31 more than in 2003.

The Dairy Challenge is an innovative three-day event developed by industry and university professionals to promote a vibrant future for the dairy industry. Working in 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. Participating dairy farmer David Conant stated, “The Dairy Challenge provided numerous ideas that will help my family and I manage our dairy business in the future.” The intention of this exercise was to create a real-life situation that stressed the importance of teamwork and professionalism. Contest Chairperson Rob Sheffer of Cargill Animal Nutrition stated, “Our business requires employees that can work well and succeed with all types of personalities. Not only does the Dairy Challenge teach technical knowledge, it succeeds in assisting students in developing people skills.”

The event began with a motivational and team-building exercise from Mary Putnam of Creative Team Works in Burlington, Vt. While providing students with tools to build their teams, Putnam reminded students that teams made up of members from different backgrounds with diverse skills always outperform individuals. Putnam also led teams in developing their strategy for the Dairy Challenge. At the end of the evening, teams received detailed production, financial, nutrition, and reproduction records, and began brainstorming for their farm visit. 

The next morning, teams traveled to one of three contest farms to evaluate cows, facilities and management practices. After a two-hour farm visit, teams returned to the Bolton Valley Resort to analyze their data and develop recommendations for improvement. Each team prepared a 20-minute presentation that detailed their observations and suggestions. The second day concluded with an inspirational message from “Survivor All-Star” Kathy O’Brien. O’Brien emphasized the reality of her experience on the CBS program and the importance of connecting to people for survival and success. O’Brien, said, “A genuine concern for others is the backbone of success for any group or organization.”

On the program’s final day, each team presented their evaluation and recommendations to a panel of judges. Teams were ranked as platinum, gold or silver, based on how well their evaluations matched the judges’ evaluations of the dairy facility.

While teams weren’t presenting, they participated in an outdoor ropes course that challenged them to break mental barriers and work together. After completing the event, SUNY Cobleskill agricultural business major Lee Pratt said, “The challenge gave me a perspective of what I need to do to be successful in the industry.”

The second annual Northeast Dairy Challenge was made possible through generous contributions from industry sponsors including: Ag Enhancement Program of Northeast Farm Credit ACAs and CoBank, Genex Cooperative Inc., Cargill Animal Nutrition, Agri-Mark Inc., Northeast Agricultural Alliances, Yankee Farm Credit ACA, United Cooperative Farmers Inc., Vermont Jersey Breeders, Vermont DHIA, Blue Seal Feeds, Whitman’s Feed Store Inc., Agway Foundation, DairyBusiness Communications, NBT Bank, Marshman Farms, Taylor-Excel Food Solutions Co., Northeast Dairy Producers Association, Eastern States Exposition, Dairy One, Diamond V Mills, Vermont Holstein Association, Bourdeau Brothers, Linwood Management, Poulin Grain, Accelerated Genetics, Select Sire Power, Vermont Technical College Dairy Farm, AgChoice Farm Credit ACA,  Mid-Atlantic Farm Credit, ACA Vermont Feed Dealers and Manufacturers Association, IL Richer Feeds, ABS Global, Dairy Records Management Services, University of Vermont Dairy Club, Vermont Technical College Dairy Club, Cornell Dairy Store, and Madhouse Munchies. Pictures of the 2004 Northeast Dairy Challenge are available upon request. Contact Dayton Maxwell at (518) 255-5032 or maxweldt@cobleskill.edu for more information.

Morrisville State College will host the next Northeast Dairy Challenge, Oct. 20-22, in Norwich, N.Y. If you have questions or are interested in sponsorship, please contact Sheila Marshman at (315) 684-6106 or marshmsa@morrisville.edu.

The Northeast program is under the guidance and support of the North American Intercollegiate Dairy Challenge (NAIDC), which was established in April 2002, as a management contest to incorporate evaluation of all aspects of a specific dairy business. The 2005 NAIDC will be hosted by the Pennsylvania State University April 8-9, 2005. NAIDC is fully funded through contributions from the dairy business. Platinum sponsors for the 2004 NAIDC were Bioproducts Inc., Cargill Animal Nutrition, Dairy Records Management Systems, DairyBusiness Communications, Genex Cooperative Inc., Monsanto Dairy Business, Select Sires Inc., West Central Soy, Ag Enhancement Program of Northeast Farm Credit, Arm and Hammer Animal Nutrition Group, Dairy Herd Management, Dairy One, Diamond V Mills, Elanco Animal Health, Farm Credit System Foundation, Pfizer Animal Health and Soy Best. Gold sponsors for the 2004 NAIDC were ABS Global, Alta Genetics Inc., Prince Agri-Products Inc., Zinpro Corp., AgChoice Farm Credit ACA, Charleston|Orwig, Hubbard Feeds Inc., Land O’ Lakes Feed, Mid-Atlantic Farm Credit ACA, Morgan&Myers Inc., Renaissance Nutrition and ReQuest Ltd.