Virginia Tech Team Repeats Top Performance At Intercollegiate Dairy Challenge
The Virginia Tech Dairy Management Consulting Team won the North American Intercollegiate Dairy Challenge for the second year in a row. The second annual competition, held April 11-12 at Michigan State University, featured 24 collegiate teams from across the United States.
The Virginia Tech team consisted of Becky Cornman>of Boiling Springs, Pa.; Andrew Lail of Vale, N.C.; Jenny Luchsinger of Syracuse, N.Y.; and Katie Peacock of Stephens City, Va. Professors Mike McGilliard, Ron Pearson, and David Winston coached the team.
"The success of our team," said McGilliard, "reflects the breadth of the undergraduate program at Virginia Tech and the industry experience garnered by the team members."
The competition required team members to draw on knowledge they gained from many of the courses included in the business management option of the Department of Dairy Science.
The teams evaluated all aspects of a commercial dairy farm in one day. Teams were provided production and financial records from a farm that they then toured for an hour, and interviewed the owner for 12 minutes.
The teams then created a computer presentation of their evaluation and recommendations, which they presented to a panel of recognized experts in the dairy industry. Teams were allocated to three herds, with a Platinum first place awarded within each group. The other Platinum teams for 2003 were Washington State University and Vermont Technical College.
The Dairy Challenge is supported by industry businesses of national prominence.
Written by Amy Stanford, Intern in the Office of University Relations
