In mid-July, 63 high school and middle school students attended the four-day Badger Dairy Camp on the University of Wisconsin–Madison campus, where they learned about the breadth of areas that contribute to Wisconsin’s dairy industry, and the higher education and career opportunities available to them. The programming, for youth ages 12-17, included hands-on workshops and visits to multiple campus labs, the UW School of Veterinary Medicine and a nearby dairy farm – plus college prep sessions and recreational activities.

“One of my favorite sessions was learning about the reproductive tract. That was pretty cool,” says Grace Elmhorst, a high school freshman from Granton, Wisconsin whose family runs Romadka View Holsteins. “We got to see the reproductive organs, and one of the cows was pregnant with twins, so we got to see that.”

This year’s Badger Dairy Camp is a revival – and expansion – of a popular summer program that was last offered 2018. The Covid pandemic waylaid earlier efforts to bring back the camp. Funding to re-launch the camp came from a UW Dairy Innovation Hub grant, as well as contributions from Compeer Financial, Hoard’s Dairyman, UW–Madison Department of Animal and Dairy Sciences (ADS) and other sponsors.

“We were thrilled to bring back Badger Dairy Camp and see such a positive response. The feedback we heard at check-out was overwhelmingly positive, with students sharing how much they enjoyed the hands-on experiences, new friendships, and career exploration opportunities,” says event co-organizer Eric Ronk, a member of ADS’ teaching faculty. “It truly took a village to make this camp a success, and we are grateful to everyone who contributed their time, talents and other support to create such a meaningful experience for these students.”

The camp is unique from other dairy youth camps because the programming covers the four key priority areas of the Dairy Innovation Hub: stewarding land and water resources; enriching human health and nutrition; ensuring animal health and welfare; and growing farm business and communities. Campers also participated in more traditional dairy youth activities such as dairy judging and linear evaluation.

“I’ve done linear evaluation before as part of a 4H judging team, but it’s cool to get to learn from the UW’s dairy judging coaches and members of the team,” says Evan Brey, a rising freshman at Southern Door High School whose family runs Brey Cycle Farm in Sturgeon Bay. “They’re obviously a lot more experienced at contests, and the Wisconsin judging team is pretty prestigious – so it’s exciting to learn from them.” 

Campers had the full student experience, staying and dining in a campus residence hall. There were opportunities to interact with peers, current UW students and faculty during recreational activities including volleyball, bowling and a bonfire at campus’ scenic Picnic Point. The majority of attendees were members of farm families, but the programming was designed for all interested learners.

“We need to recruit students from both agricultural and nonagricultural backgrounds to sustain the dairy workforce and local communities in Wisconsin,” says co-organizer Laura Hernandez, professor of animal and dairy sciences. “That’s the long-term goal of this program – to inspire, prepare, and support young people as future leaders in Wisconsin’s dairy sector.”

“The engagement among camp participants, undergraduate and graduate students, faculty, staff, alumni, and industry professionals was phenomenal,” says ADS graduate student Megan Lauber, who led planning and coordination for the camp. “It showcased how strong the dairy community is here in Wisconsin.”