Dairy and food science students shine in national competition

CASCO – Students of the South Dakota State University (SDSU) Department of Dairy and Food Science, including a local Luxemburg-Casco High School graduate, brought home a significant honor in a recent national collegiate competition.

SDSU’s Dairy Quiz Bowl Team took second place at the annual American Dairy Science Association meeting in Kentucky in June.

The four-member team played a total of five rounds starting with a bye round, beating Virginia Tech once and Purdue twice and finally placing second to Penn State. Each collegiate team of an undergraduate student division chapter is eligible to participate in the Dairy Quiz Bowl, sponsored by the American Dairy Science Association Foundation.

“This is a great opportunity for our students to demonstrate their knowledge about dairy production, processing and American Dairy Science Association history,” Department Head for the Department of Dairy and Food Science Londa Nwadike said. “Our students represented our university and our department admirably, and we are very proud of their accomplishment.”

The team brought home a plaque and a share of the contest prize money, and was given points on the Chapter Award scorecard.

Hayley Daubert, a senior dairy manufacturing major from Bridgewater, Virginia, coached the team to a strong second-place finish. Logan Guilette, a sophomore dairy production major from Casco, was a team member, alongside Wyatt Zehr, senior dairy manufacturing major from Pontiac, Ill. and Dillion Sparrgrove, junior dairy production major from West Union, Iowa.

Guilette chose to major in dairy production after serving a one-year term on the Wisconsin Agriculture Youth Council in the 2023-24 school year. Council members are chosen based on their submitted materials, including an application, essay, video and letter of recommendation. Members must attend virtual sessions each month of the school year to listen to presentations and participate in dialogue related to a variety of topics. Guilette also showed cattle in the Wisconsin District 7 Holstein Show 2024, making it clear that his passion for dairy production goes back much further than June’s competition.