Four students from the University of Guelph took home top honours at the North American Intercollegiate Dairy Challenge earlier this month, reaffirming Ontario’s place at the forefront of the industry.
The students – Peter Spruit, Alan Nanne, Hans van Lith, and John Wynands – were selected last fall from their Challenges and Opportunities in Dairy Production class, to represent the university at the competition in Fort Wayne, Indiana. The team beat out groups from Wisconsin, Ohio, and Michigan state, along with other Canadian entrants from McGill University in Montreal, and the University of Alberta in Edmonton.
The preparatory course provides senior-level students with experience working as a team to propose solutions to animal-related businesses at the farm or industry level. It is a unique opportunity as Guelph is one of the only universities to offer the program, proof that the school isn’t planning to refocus its dedication to the agricultural sciences any time soon.
Professor Dr. Ken Leslie of Wellington North, who teaches the dairy production course at the university, says Guelph is still an institution at the forefront of agricultural studies.
“I worry that the negative publicity from things like the closure of Kemptville and all of that (is taken as) us abandoning the dairy industry, but that’s not really accurate,” Leslie says. “We think a great deal of the dairy industry and we interact hugely with the Dairy Farmer’s of Ontario organization and individual producers.”
The two-day challenge in Indiana allowed students to apply their knowledge to a real-world dairy operation. On day one, the team received information on a 1,000 animal dairy farm in Ohio, which included production and farm management data. They then developed a program and made recommendations on reproduction, milking procedures, animal health, housing and financial management.
On the second day, Leslie’s team presented its findings to a panel of representatives from the industry.
“Last fall we had one of the best classes we’ve ever had, and there were perhaps eight really, really strong people, and we selected four of them, and they went off, and they won this darn thing,” said Leslie.
“They’re just really smart – the things they came up with, the things they saw on that farm that (the coaches) didn’t see, just because they’re so astute, were great. They really nailed it.”
The fact that Leslie’s students came out on top is especially impressive, given that Canadian teams had to analyze a U.S. dairy herd without knowledge of the American industry, which can be a challenge. However, the Guelph students visited a farm in New York state as part of their in-class preparation.
Aside from the chance to showcase acquired skills, the Dairy Challenge event is ultimately an opportunity for students to network with leaders in the industry, and for the leaders in turn, to scout out the brightest new minds. At press time, three of the four team members were already hired to work in the dairy industry.
“(We stand out because) we rock! We’re from the dairy area … These four guys are all from dairy farms, two from eastern Ontario, and two from near St. Mary’s, and that gives them a huge advantage,” Leslie says.
Leslie has now retired from full-time teaching, but still comes in to guide the course alongside Dr. John Walton and Mark Carson.
“My favourite part is seeing them bloom and what they learn and how far they go beyond what we teach them,” said Leslie.
“This is one thing that after retirement, I didn’t get asked to give up, and I didn’t want to give up.”
