Students Win Gold At North American Intercollegiate Dairy Challenge

Contact: Sharon Keeler
603-862-1566
UNH Media Relations

May 17, 2004



DURHAM, N.H. – Students from the University of New Hampshire won a gold award in the Third Annual North American Intercollegiate Dairy Challenge (NAIDC) held recently at Penn State University.

(L-R) Coach Pete Erickson, UNH assistant professor of animal and nutritional sciences, Jodi Alger, Cynthia Blodgett, Susan Marston (holding sign), and Seth Gray.

The team from UNH included Jodi Alger, of Hebron, Conn.; Cynthia Blodgett, of Lisbon; Seth Gray, of Pittsburg; and Susan Marston, of Pittsfield. Pete Erickson, UNH assistant professor of animal and nutritional sciences, coached the team.

NAIDC is an innovative two-day competition for students representing dairy programs in North American universities. It enables students to apply theory and learning to a real-world dairy, while working as part of a team.

During the competition, students inspect their designated dairies and interview herd managers. Each team then develops a farm analysis and presentation materials, including recommendations for nutrition, reproduction, milking procedures, animal health, housing and financial management. They then present their recommendations to a panel of judges.. For more information, visit www.dairychallenge.org.

A digital photo of the UNH Team is available at http://www.unh.edu/news/img/dairy/NAIDCTeam.JPG.

Caption: (L-R) Coach Pete Erickson, UNH assistant professor of animal and nutritional sciences, Jodi Alger, Cynthia Blodgett, Susan Marston (holding sign), and Seth Gray.