STATE FAIR OF LOUISIANA OPEN DAIRY SHOW - NOVEMBER 15 - 18, 2007

During the first weekend of November, four Louisiana Tech Agricultural Science students took Dairy animals to the State Fair of Louisiana in Shreveport for the Dairy Open show.  The students, which included Maggie Boykin, Elizabeth Holloway, Mindy Kile, and Mackenzie Harris, were able to visit with alumni and prospective students while at the fair.  They also sponsored the Ice Cream eating Contest.  The cattle placed in the show as follows:

Jersey Yearling – 5^th                  

Holstein Winter Heifer – 1^st

Holstein Senior Yearling – 1^st and Jr. Reserve Champion

Holstein 4-year old – 1^st, Sr. Grand Champion, Holstein Grand Champion, and Supreme Dairy Champion

Best Three Females (Holsteins) – 1^st

November 15-18, Tisha Sonnier, Louisiana Tech Dairy Lab Supervisor, took three students (Maggie Boykin, Elizabeth Holloway, and Mindy Kile) to the Southern Regional Dairy Challenge at LSU – Baton Rouge.  At the Challenge, there were eleven universities present from all over the United States, including Clemson, Florida, North Carolina, Southern, LSU, Virginia Tech, etc.  The purpose of this event is to prepare students for the National Dairy Challenge.  Students were placed in teams of five with students from other universities.  No students were placed with individuals from their own school.  The teams were given financial records, production records, and reproductive records, were allowed to speak with employees and owners, and toured an operating dairy.  The teams then had five hours to create a twenty minute PowerPoint presentation in which all team members must speak.  Their role was to assume that they were consultants for this dairy, and they had to present recommendations for improvement and comment on practices that seemed to be working.  The students were then questioned by five judges.  Our students placed as follows:

Mindy’s team – 2^nd Platinum

Maggie’s team – Gold

Elizabeth’s team – Silver