On a more positive note, three Saratoga County farms recently
participated in the Seventh Annual Northeast Regional Dairy Challenge,
a local division of the North American Intercollegiate Dairy Challenge,
which took place on November 5 through 7.
The competition involved over 120 students from 14 universities and
colleges from across the Northeast and Canada, including SUNY
Cobleskill in Glens Falls. The three local host farms involved were
Hanehan Family Dairy, Turning Point Dairy of Saratoga Springs and Clear
Echo Farm of Schuylerville.
The competition brought together agricultural students and industry leaders. The Northeast Regional Dairy Challenge is designed to create an educational environment and facilitate a real-world dairy team situation.
"You can think of the students as a consulting team, and they do a whole evaluation from finance to nutrient management, reproduction, crop management, everything so whole farm," Dayton Maxwell, SUNY Cobleskill College Department of Agricultural Business and Animal Science, said. Maxwell and Jenny Mills of Elanco Animal Health led the challenge.
To accomplish this, students on mixed-university teams are placed on a farm where they will analyze production and farm management data to identify problems and solutions for the dairy farmers. Following an operational evaluation, teams developed a comprehensive program including recommendations for nutrition, reproduction, milking procedures, animal health, housing and financial management.
According to Maxwell, a team of industry professionals also conducted an evaluation as a "judge's team." The students were ranked by how their recommendations compared to the judge's team's recommendations.
"The [farmers] get feedback from some of the best students and leading professionals. It's really a win-win situation for everyone," Maxwell said.
Both the students and the host farms benefit from the exchange of information and ideas. The farms are chosen according to success and precision of record keeping. Therefore students realize how an effective dairy business operates.
"The host farms are some of the best farms and are the best at what they do. They are all such good farms, its hard to final major issues, they are so well managed. What the students do is try to find top three issues that they should work on, and rank in order of priority," Maxwell said.
The North American Intercollegiate Dairy Challenge and it's regional contests have become the premier programs for promoting the future of dairy business through college and industry partnerships. The challenge is beneficial for everyone involved, which may point toward a brighter future for the dairy industry.
The competition brought together agricultural students and industry leaders. The Northeast Regional Dairy Challenge is designed to create an educational environment and facilitate a real-world dairy team situation.
"You can think of the students as a consulting team, and they do a whole evaluation from finance to nutrient management, reproduction, crop management, everything so whole farm," Dayton Maxwell, SUNY Cobleskill College Department of Agricultural Business and Animal Science, said. Maxwell and Jenny Mills of Elanco Animal Health led the challenge.
To accomplish this, students on mixed-university teams are placed on a farm where they will analyze production and farm management data to identify problems and solutions for the dairy farmers. Following an operational evaluation, teams developed a comprehensive program including recommendations for nutrition, reproduction, milking procedures, animal health, housing and financial management.
According to Maxwell, a team of industry professionals also conducted an evaluation as a "judge's team." The students were ranked by how their recommendations compared to the judge's team's recommendations.
"The [farmers] get feedback from some of the best students and leading professionals. It's really a win-win situation for everyone," Maxwell said.
Both the students and the host farms benefit from the exchange of information and ideas. The farms are chosen according to success and precision of record keeping. Therefore students realize how an effective dairy business operates.
"The host farms are some of the best farms and are the best at what they do. They are all such good farms, its hard to final major issues, they are so well managed. What the students do is try to find top three issues that they should work on, and rank in order of priority," Maxwell said.
The North American Intercollegiate Dairy Challenge and it's regional contests have become the premier programs for promoting the future of dairy business through college and industry partnerships. The challenge is beneficial for everyone involved, which may point toward a brighter future for the dairy industry.
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