Danielle Zuidema Applies Real-World Training at Dairy Challenge Academy

2013 Apr 30

Danielle Zuidema of DeMotte, Indiana, participated in the first annual Dairy Challenge Academy, part of the North American Intercollegiate Dairy Challenge, in April at Fort Wayne, Indiana. Zuidema is a Dordt College sophomore majoring in agriculture with an emphasis in agri-business. She also has a minor in Spanish. "It was great to get to know so many fellow students and various producers," Zuidema said. "I loved hearing about everyone's backgrounds and about how they got to where they are today."

The team of four Dordt College students took part in a two-day educational experience where they worked in teams. Each team received production and farm management data from a working dairy, conducted in-person inspection of the dairy, and interviewed herd managers about their operation. Teams then developed a farm analysis and provided recommendations for nutrition, reproduction, milking procedures, animal health, housing, and financial management. They concluded the challenge by presenting their recommendations and fielding questions from a panel of judges.

In total, 223 students from 37 colleges and universities from the United States and Canada participated. The event was co-hosted by Purdue University, Michigan State University, and Ohio State University.

Dordt College in Sioux Center, Iowa, is a comprehensive Christian college rooted in the Reformed tradition. U.S. News & World Report, Forbes.com, Washington Monthly, and Princeton Review all list Dordt on their best colleges lists. Dordt is home to approximately 1,400 students. To learn more about Dordt College, visit www.dordt.edu.