| Spotlight on Youth - June 30, 2010 |
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UK team places gold in Intercollegiate Dairy Challenge
LEXINGTON, Ky. — University of Kentucky students won a gold placing in the ninth annual North American Intercollegiate Dairy Challenge in Visalia, Calif. Hosted by California Polytechnic State University and California State University, Fresno, 28 teams from the United States and two teams from Canada competed.
The UK team included Rebekah Chmielewski, Curtis Coombs, Brady Core and Katie Sheaffer. Donna Amaral-Phillips, UK extension professor and dairy nutritionist, and Jeffrey Bewley, UK assistant professor, coached the team.
Amaral-Phillips said the North American Intercollegiate Dairy Challenge is an innovative two-day competition for students representing dairy science programs at North American universities. It enables students to apply theory and learning to a real-world dairy, while working as part of a four-person team.
On the first day of the challenge, each team received information about a working dairy, including production and farm management data. After an in-person inspection of one of four designated dairies, participants interviewed the herd managers. Then each team developed a farm analysis and presentation, including recommendations for nutrition, reproduction, milking procedures, animal health, housing and financial management.
On day two, team members presented their recommendations to a panel of judges and then fielded questions from them. The judges evaluated presentations based on the teams’ analyses and recommendations. The evening concluded with a reception and awards banquet.
The North American Intercollegiate Dairy Challenge was established as a management contest to incorporate all phases of a specific dairy business. Organizers strive to incorporate a higher-learning atmosphere with practical application to help prepare students for careers in the dairy industry. Supported financially through donations by agribusinesses and coordinated by a volunteer board of directors, the first challenge was held in 2002. For more information, visit www.dairychallenge.org
Co-Alliance awards $20,000 in local scholarships
AVON, Ind. — The challenge of paying for a college education just got a little easier for a group of graduating seniors this month.
That’s because Co-Alliance LLP, which serves energy and agribusiness customers across Indiana, Ohio and Michigan, announced the winners of 20 Solutions Scholarship awards recently. Co-Alliance created the scholarship program to benefit the children and grandchildren of local cooperative members who belong to Midland Co-op, IMPACT Co-op, LaPorte County Co-op, Frontier Co-op and Excel Co-op.
The one-time awards are for $1,000 each, and recipient families have been notified by mail or at school award programs. Co-Alliance CEO Kevin A. Still views the investment as another example of the company’s commitment to community and also to rural youth.
“These students show tremendous potential. Their dedication and passion to lead can be seen in their essays and in their achievements. We anticipate a very bright future for these young people,” he said.
As part of the application process, students expressed their views of the production agriculture industry. For example, “Thanks to agribusiness, grocers, meat packers, genetic engineers, chemists and people of countless other occupations who likely have never set foot on a farm can find careers,” wrote Clinton County’s Collin White (pictured). “This is a direct result of America’s agricultural prowess. Agriculture is the base system of every developing economy, largely driving other markets and ensuring jobs.” Collin will study at Purdue University in the fall, and was very thankful for the Co-Alliance Award. Cascade senior Jason Quinn agreed with White, and showed his sense of humor: “Everyone I know likes to eat three times a day. Farmers put food on the table,” he wrote.
Students from all three states received awards. The list and their home schools are provided: Eric Biesecker, of Western Boone High School; Michael Burke of Twin Lakes High School; Brian Butchbaker, of Marcellus High School; Taylor Campbell, from Clinton Central High School; Laura Chenoweth, of Adena High School; Kyle Dickover, of TriCentral High School; Kristen Fordice, of North Putnam High School; Michelle Furrer, of TriCounty High School; Kyle Garhart, of TriCentral High School; Johnathan Jay, of Plainfield High School; Shelby Kyburz, of North White High School; Kyle Lachmund, of North White High School; Derek Leahy, of Rossville High School; Courtney Mann, of Cloverdale High School; Emily Matthews, of Miami Trace High School; Daniel Quick, of Sheridan High School; Jason Quinn, of Cascade High School; Lorelei Seip, of Carroll High School; Collin White, of Clinton Prairie High School; and Kirstin Wolf, of South Central High School.
Ohio FFA student participates in International Science Fair
PETTISVILLE, Ohio — Taylor Kruse, a Pettisville sophomore, recently was one of four students in the seven county area that represented northwestern Ohio at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair in San Jose, Calif. Two students were selected to present their projects and Kruse was one of two selected to observe during the week long fair.
Kruse felt the entire experience of Intel ISEF was an event she will truly never forget and one that she will strive to be a part of next year. As she stepped into the exhibit hall that first day she was in complete shock. The room that all of the projects were held in was massive, later she found out that there were over 1,100 projects in that room. Kruse was able to sit down and talk with a girl from Thailand, met people from Brazil, a few girls from Puerto Rico, and tons of kids from all over United States. As a student observer, she led a group of middle school students for a trip around the convention center and other activities. These kids were extremely eager to see the science fair projects and were amazed by everything they saw in the exhibit hall building. At the awards ceremonies she was amazed at the amount of scholarships and award money given out to winners. By the end of the week she was tired, but truly blessed and thankful that she was able to attend the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair. Looking back on her time out in California, Kruse said she will always remember the excitement, laughter and people she was able to meet from around the world and from Ohio.
Besides her week in California this spring she presented at the following science fairs: superior rating at Local Science Day, superior rating and 1st place HS Botany; Top Four in Super Judging at the Northwest Ohio Regional Science & Engineering Fair, superior rating at District Science Day at UT and received the Stranahan Arboretum Environmental Science Award, Poster Presenter at the Ohio Junior Sciences & Humanities Symposium at BGSU, Superior rating at State Science Day, 1st and Gold Rating in Division 2 of Botany Category at the Ohio FFA Convention Agriscience Fair.
The title of Kruse’s project was: “The Effect of Different Protein Percentages Fed to Rabbits on the growth of Glycine max Plants”.
She will be able to present at the National FFA Agriscience fair in October during National FFA Convention. |
| 6/30/2010 |
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