State College, PA, April 9, 2005 – Teams from the University of Guelph, Ontario, Canada; Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y.; and University of Illinois, Champaign, Ill.; earned the highest award – First Place Platinum – in the Fourth Annual North American Intercollegiate Dairy Challenge (NAIDC) held April 8-9, State College, Pa.

The event attracted 27 teams from the United States and Canada, challenging them to put their textbook and practical knowledge to the ultimate test – analyzing dairies. The format started with a walk-through at the dairies, followed by the opportunity to ask questions of the owners and analyze farm-specific data. Student teams used this information to develop management recommendations, and then presented their management recommendations to a panel of five dairy industry judges.”

Each of the First Place Platinum team members received a $200 Dairy Challenge scholarship. A first time entrant, University of Guelph team members were Alison Besley, Mark Carson, Jennifer Christie and Mike MacLean. Les Ferreira of Cal Poly State University, San Luis Obispo, Calif., coached the Guelph team. Cornell University’s team included Matthew Alvernaz, Andrew Durow, Nicole Olynk and Kirsty Smith, with Mike VanAmburgh serving as the coach. University of Illinois’ team included Ryan Aberle, Kathryn Jean Hohmann, Andy Lenkaitis and Jessica Plocher, with David Carlson and Eric Reid serving as coaches.

Second Place Platinum award winners, who received $100 scholarships, included: Virginia Tech’s Beverly Cox, Samuel Gardner, Christopher Lilly and Michael Zuber; University of Idaho’s Christine Basel, Adam Beard, Brandy Janicek and Dan Richardson; and Texas A&M University’s Ben Davis, Jonathon Haralson, Joe Stevens and Charles Swanson. Mike McGilliard and Ron Pearson coached the Virginia Tech team; Amin Ahmadzaedh coached the University of Idaho team; and Mike Tomaszewski coached the Texas A&M team.

Honorable Mention Platinum teams included the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Penn State and Ohio State University. Coached by Dave Combs and Randy Shaver, UW-Madison team members were Becky Adams, Kari Behling, Brian Hoskens and Peter Rindal. Penn State’s team, coached by Gabriella Varga, included Kris Bower, Katherine Harwick, Erin Munger and Lauren Smith. Coached by Maurice Eastridge, Ohio State’s team members were Mike Allerding, Kelly Epperly, Matthew McVey and Stacey Shipley.

Gold Awards were presented to teams from the University of Minnesota, Iowa State University, North Dakota State University, South Dakota State University, University of Maine, North Carolina State University, University of Wisconsin – River Falls, Cal Poly State University, Washington State University and Michigan State University.

Teams from Delaware Valley College, Oregon State University, Southern Illinois University-Carbondale, State University of New York-Cobleskill, University of Florida, University of Georgia, University of New Hampshire and University of Vermont received Silver Awards.

Generous support from corporate sponsors makes NAIDC possible. This year’s Platinum sponsors include ABS Global Inc., Ag Enhance Program of NE Farm Credit, Agway Foundation Inc., Alltech, Arm & Hammer Animal Nutrition Group, Bioproducts Inc., Cargill Animal Nutrition, Dairy Herd Management, Dairy One, Dairy Records Management Systems, DairyBusiness Communications, Diamond V Mills, Elanco Animal Health, Farm Credit System Foundation, Genex Cooperative Inc., Monsanto Dairy Business, Northeast Dairy Producers Association, Pfizer Animal Health, Select Sires Inc., Soy Best and West Central Soy. Gold sponsors in 2005 include Ag Choice Farm Credit ACA, Alta Genetics Inc., Bou-Matic, Land O’Lakes Purina Feed LLC, MidAtlantic Farm Credit ACA, Morgan&Myers Inc., Pennsylvania Dairymen’s Association, Prince Agri Products Inc., Renaissance Nutrition Inc., ReQuest Ltd., Vermont DHIA, WestfaliaSurge Inc. and Zinpro Corp.

The North American Dairy Challenge was established as a management contest to incorporate all phases of a specific dairy business. It strives to incorporate a higher-learning atmosphere with practical application to help prepare students for careers in the dairy industry. Supported financially through generous donations by industry and coordinated by a volunteer steering committee, the first NAIDC was held in April 2002.

In 2006, NAIDC will be held in the Twin Falls, Idaho area. The University of Idaho and Washington State University are co-hosting the event. For more information about NAIDC, log on to www.dairychallenge.org.

Note: Photos of contest winners are available by contacting Lisa Behnke, WDE Management Inc., 2820 Walton Commons West Suite 101, Madison, WI 53718, phone: (608) 224-0400, fax: (608) 224-0300, or e-mail edulbehnke@wdexpo.com.