Four students from the University of Wisconsin-Madison won Platinum recognition for the third consecutive year at the North American Intercollegiate Dairy Challenge (NAIDC) held March 31-April 1, 2006 in Twin Falls, Id.

The University of Idaho and Washington State University co-hosted the 2006 contest, with 26 teams from the United States and 1 team from Canada competing. The teams were divided into three divisions with two Platinum Awards given per division.

The team from UW-Madison consisted of Molly Florent, Marengo, IL; Justin Powell, Colfax, IL; Mike Tassoul, Brussels, WI; and Laurie Volkman, Black Creek, WI. Dr. David Combs, UW-Madison dairy scientist, Ted Halbach, dairy cattle evaluation instructor and John Goeser, dairy science graduate student, coached the team.

NAIDC is an innovative two-day competition that enables students to apply classroom theories to a real-world dairy, while working as part of a four-person team.

Day One of 2006 NAIDC began with a student walk-through at a 2,500 cow dairy, followed by the opportunity to ask the farm owner questions. The students then analyzed specific farm data from dairy management computer programs.

Later that day, the teams had 6 hours to create a presentation to provide management recommendations for nutrition, reproduction, milking procedures, animal health, housing, and financial management. The students presented this information to a panel of judges for evaluation on the second day of the contest.

“I think the contest really prepares students for careers in the dairy industry by challenging our teamwork and communication skills while working under pressure,” said team member, Laurie Volkman. “Many companies in the dairy industry regard the dairy challenge as a valuable tool to prepare future employees, so it also helps me to become more marketable by participating in this event.”

Generous support for numerous corporate sponsors makes NAIDC possible. The contest 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 agribusinesses and coordinated by a volunteer board of directors, the first NAIDC was held in April 2002.