Miner Institute welcomed 78 students from 12 universities for the Northeast Regional Dairy Challenge event October 17-19, 2024. Students from dairy programs at Alfred State University, University of Guelph, SUNY Morrisville, University of Vermont, SUNY Cobleskill, Cornell University, Delaware Valley University, University of Maine, Michigan State University, Ohio State University Agricultural Technical Institute, Pennsylvania State University, and University of New Hampshire participated in the event.
The three-day event included team-building activities that develop communication and teamwork skills. Students were assigned to aggregate teams and analyzed financial information, herd health and management records, facilities, feed and forage data for local farms who generously participated in the event. Students visited the participating farms and were able to network with mentors and ask questions of the producers.
Students then presented recommendations for the farm to improve efficiency or management to a panel of judges including dairy producers, agribusiness professionals, veterinarians, financial specialists, and nutritionists. Students were also able to tour Miner Institute’s facilities and participate in a career fair.
It was a wonderful opportunity for our staff and students to showcase our programs and facilities to the participating students and coaches. We are so appreciative not only for the opportunity to host this great event, but to the entire Miner team who all played a role in this event's success. Our staff was welcoming and helpful and took on the challenge of feeding and facilitating with professionalism. We are so grateful!
