Posted: April 22, 2026
Penn State had a strong showing at the 2026 North American Intercollegiate Dairy Challenge, with the contest team placing second in their bracket.
1. Penn State students who participated in the North American Intercollegiate Dairy Challenge - Front row (from left): Rylan Curran, Leoni Martins, Jessica Fleisher, Jay Bratton, Hannah Mansfield. Back row (from left): Sara McNichols, Hannah King, Ainsley Sellers, Alex Coursen, Faith Wolfe, Sara Reed, and Yoorae Kim.
The contest was held April 12-14 at Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and was 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.
The contest team was Jay Bratton, Millerstown, PA; Rylan Curran, Northampton, PA; Hannah Mansfield, Greenville, NC; and Jessica Fleiser, 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 Alumni 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.
This year, 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 5,500 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 4,600 cows.
Funding for Penn State's participation was provided by an endowment established by alumnus Clifton Marshall, and we are very grateful for his continued support. Additional funding came from the Engaged Scholarship & Experiential Learning (ESEL) Seed Grant Program, administered by the Institute for Sustainable Agricultural, Food, and Environmental Science (SAFES) in the College of Agricultural Sciences. There are many industry sponsors whose ongoing support makes the Dairy Challenge possible and helps the program continue to grow.
The National Dairy Challenge Contest and Academy is an innovative event for students in dairy programs at North American post-secondary institutions. It strives to incorporate a higher-learning atmosphere with practical application to help prepare students for careers as dairy owners or managers, consultants, researchers, veterinarians, or other dairy professionals. Thousands of students have enhanced their dairy management, communication, and business skills through the Dairy Challenge, in turn generating highly qualified graduates to lead and further improve the dairy industry.
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."
