WOOSTER, Ohio — While its own students vacated the Ohio State University Wooster campus for fall break; students from across the Northeast filled the void on campus as Ohio State hosted the 2025 Northeast Regional Dairy Challenge.
Students spent October 16-18 participating in the event made up of schools from the Northeast and the Midwest. Eighty-eight students with a focus in dairy competed in this farm evaluation competition to improve and learn new skills from industry professionals. The task given to students is to evaluate dairy farm records, financial summaries, facilities, and management practices. Based on their self-reported skills and interests, students are placed into aggregate teams to evaluate a farm and present recommendations to judges that work in various areas of the industry including nutritionists, agribusiness professionals, veterinarians, financial professionals, and producers.
The event began with students meeting their teams and participating in a team building activity to promote teamwork and communication. Students then received files of data to review before traveling to the dairies for an in-person evaluation. Students, judges, mentors, volunteers, and coaches were welcomed by one of two dairies: RMD Dairy near Rittman and Clardale Farms near Canal Fulton. While visiting the dairies, the students had access to mentors representing event sponsors available to answer questions. Before departing the dairies, students were able to ask the producer questions on management to help develop recommendations.
Students worked the rest of the evening and the next morning to create their presentations. The recommendations were in the areas of nutrition, cow comfort, financials, reproduction, management, and facilities. Students spent the evening full of fun fall activities with sponsors to relax before presenting their recommendations the next day.
The remainder of the weekend was filled with presentations, tours, and networking opportunities for students. Once students complete their presentations, they attended the career fair comprised of the companies that sponsored the event and their employees that volunteered for the event. This allows students to chat with potential employers for internships and jobs after graduation. Students not presenting visited Pine Tree Dairy, a nearby farm to learn about utilizing robotics on the farm.
Once presentations concluded the judges deliberated and then gave students their comments about the farm. Ashley Bliss, representing Pinion Global announced the winners as follows:
• Farm 1, 1st place: Team 1 sponsored by Farm Credit East, ACA – Laura Coddington (McGill University), Katie Nelson (University of Vermont), Lynn Strik (University of Guelph) and Kent Hamstra (Purdue University)
2nd place: Team 5 sponsored by Dairy One – Briana Haas (SUNY Cobleskill), Joey Harasta (Alfred State College), Sean Kersmanc (Cornell University) and Jacob VanDoren (Delaware Valley University).
• Farm 2, 1st place: Team 14 sponsored by Renaissance Nutrition, Inc. – Karissa Ayer (Ohio State), Florence Bolduc (McGill University), Miah VanNoord (University of Guelph) and Eli Swyers (Michigan State).
2nd place: Team 12 sponsored by Balchem Animal Nutrition & Health – Zoe Jovkovic (University of Guelph), Rachel Craun (Purdue), David Merrell (Cornell) and Blanche Wolf (SUNY Morrisville).
• Farm 3, 1st place: Team 17, sponsored by Mercer Milling Company Inc. – Jessica Fleisher (Penn State), Jasmine Desautels (McGill University), Annette Prezzano (Cornell), and Sadie Brearly (Michigan State)
2nd place: Team 20, sponsored by DRMS – Amy Kern (Michigan State), Gabriela Galvez (University of Vermont), Isaiah Eisert (Purdue), and Charlie Haynes (Cornell).
The event’s organizers and participants thank Ohio State for hosting the Northeast Regional Committee; especially Wanda Emerich, and all generous sponsors, mentors and volunteers.
