SIOUX FALLS, S.D. — Penn State had a strong showing at the 2026 North American Intercollegiate Dairy Challenge, with the contest team placing second in their bracket.
The contest was held here April 12-14, hosted by Dordt University, Iowa State University and South Dakota State University. Forty-five academic schools participated, with 144 contestants and 139 attending the Academy. There were 63 coaches and 104 volunteers from 45 companies.
Penn State’s contest team consisted of Jay Bratton, Millerstown, Pa.; Rylan Curran, Northampton, Pa.; Hannah Mansfield, Greenville, N.C.; and Jessica Fleisher, Newport, Pa. Five students took part in the Academy: Alex Coursen, Spring Mills, Pa.; Hannah King, Belleville, Pa.; Sara Reed, Columbia Cross Roads, Pa.; Ainsley Sellers, Lebanon, Pa.; and Faith Wolfe, Centre Hall, Pa.
The group was coached by Leoni F. Martins, assistant clinical professor of precision dairy nutrition, and Dr. Chad Dechow, professor of dairy cattle genetics. Sara McNichols (Dairy Challenge alumnus and animal science senior student) and Yoorae Kim (PhD student in animal science) accompanied the group to Sioux Falls.
Martins said: “Our team handled the pressure of the competition very well and showed strong analytical thinking and teamwork throughout. I am proud of our students who invested their time preparing for this competition and sharpening their skills to serve our dairy industry.”
Noting that the academy students were also highly engaged, Martins said: “I want to especially highlight Faith—her group received the inaugural Academy Students’ Choice Award, which speaks to the way they collaborated and approached the problem-solving process. They took full advantage of the experience.”
He recognized the value to all students, saying “I was very pleased with how the students performed. Beyond the results, what stands out is how much they grew through the process—working with students from across the country, applying what they’ve learned in the classroom, and thinking through real-world dairy management challenges.”
In a real-world simulation, students have just 24 hours to analyze farm data, visit the farm for two hours, ask questions directly to the producer, and prepare a comprehensive presentation, highlighting the farm’s strengths and opportunities, along with their own recommendations for improvement. They present their findings to a panel of judges composed of industry professionals, including veterinarians, nutritionists, financial consultants, and dairy producers.
Contest students evaluated Tri-Cross Dairy and academy students evaluated Boadwine Farms, Inc, both large operations in South Dakota. Tri-Cross Dairy uses a unique crossbreeding system combining Holstein, Montbéliarde, and Swedish Red cattle with about 5500 cows. It’s a complex system, and the students did an excellent job working through the data, identifying key challenges, and putting together practical, well-supported recommendations under a tight timeline.
Boadwine Farms is a family-owned, multi-generational dairy farm, dedicated to innovation, renewable energy and caring for the environment, milking about 4600 cows.
Funding for Penn State’s participation was provided by an endowment established by alumnus Clifton Marshall, and Penn State teams are very grateful for his continued support. There are many industry sponsors whose ongoing support makes the Dairy Challenge possible and helps the program continue to grow.
According to Martins, “The Dairy Challenge offers an outstanding opportunity for students to develop technical skills, leadership, teamwork, and resilience, all while gaining hands-on experience evaluating large dairy farms. Our students began preparing early in January, sharpening their data mining skills, strengthening their ability to identify issues through data analysis, and connecting their observations from farm visits back to the data. Their hard work paid off as they demonstrated remarkable growth throughout the semester, arriving at the contest well-prepared and competitive.”
