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The Department of Dairy and Food Science at South ��ֱ���� State University hosted the 2025 North American Intercollegiate Dairy Challenge Midwest Regional Competition this month, welcoming 113 students from 14 universities and technical schools in collaboration with a regional dairy. 

The event was one of four regional competitions, all leading up to the North American Intercollegiate Dairy Challenge, which will be held in Gainesville, Florida, in April. At the regional and national contests, students have the opportunity to visit and evaluate a local dairy, then recommend management enhancements that are judged by a panel of industry and academic professionals. 

The North American Intercollegiate Dairy Challenge’s mission is to “develop tomorrow's dairy industry leaders to foster a sustainable future by providing educational, professional growth and networking opportunities for students, dairy producers, agribusiness and academic personnel,” according to the organization's website. 

Molly Kelley, executive director of the North American Intercollegiate Dairy Challenge, said SDSU’s Department of Dairy and Food Science was instrumental in hosting a very successful event. “We are grateful for the collaborative partnership with our hosts at South ��ֱ���� State University,” Kelley said. “Our combined resources enabled us to present a fantastic event for our students, providing them with unique insights into dairying in the region.” 

In addition to time spent at the participating area dairy, MoDak Dairy Inc. in Goodwin, students spent time in educational sessions, small group team preparation of the dairy evaluation and visiting the exhibit booths from companies in the dairy and allied industries. At the end of the event, teams received competitive awards for their work. 

“We were honored to host the 2025 North American Intercollegiate Dairy Challenge Midwest Regional Competition in Brookings,” said Maristela Rovai, associate professor in the SDSU Department of Dairy and Food Science and Extension dairy specialist. “Over two days, this event fostered practical problem-solving skills and valuable networking opportunities, strengthening students’ knowledge and connections within the dairy industry.” 

Londa Nwadike, David A. Thompson Endowed Department Head of Dairy and Food Science, noted that SDSU was an excellent site choice for the Midwest competition. “Our department excels in both dairy production and manufacturing, along with food science, aligning with South ��ֱ����’s rapidly growing dairy and food industries. Hosting this competition was a privilege, and we appreciate the dedication of students, industry professionals and dairy producers who contributed to its success.” 

Each spring semester the SDSU Department of Dairy and Food Science offers the Dairy Farm Evaluation course, which provides students with hands-on training in milking operations, feeding protocols, reproduction, herd health, facilities, heifer raising and financial records of dairy farms. A key highlight of this course is the opportunity for students to participate in regional and national North American Intercollegiate Dairy Challenge competitions where they apply their knowledge to real-world dairy farm evaluations. This course is led by Rovai and South ��ֱ���� dairy producer Lynn Boadwine, who also serve as the SDSU team’s coaches. 

“This year, we have 18 students enrolled in the course from various SDSU majors,” Rovai said. “We had 12 competing at the regional, and we are bringing 10 to the national and academy competition.” 

Fourteen universities and technical schools throughout the Midwest sent 113 students, along with more than 70 volunteers representing various sectors of the dairy industry. In addition to SDSU, participating institutions included: College of the Ozarks, Dordt University, Iowa State University, Kansas State University, North Central College, Northeast Iowa Community College, Purdue University, Southwest Wisconsin Technical College, University of Illinois, University of Minnesota, University of Wisconsin-Madison, University of Wisconsin-Platteville and University of Wisconsin-River Falls. 

Representatives of MoDak Dairy Inc. were grateful for the opportunity to host the students at the Midwest Regional event. “We acknowledge a high importance of engaging the ‘next generation’ of dairy farmers into the dairy industry,” said Greg Moes, MoDak co-owner.