News Release 

Date: Mar. 7, 2008

Contact: Rebecca Schuelke, communication specialist
Telephone: (315) 453-3823 extension 103
Cell phone: (315) 427-2714
Email: rschuelke@nyfvi.org


Junior Dairy Leader program prepares next generation for farming


On a recent wintery afternoon, two dozen young adults from across New York State gathered in a small dairy barn on the campus of Cornell University. Dressed in Carharts, wool hats, and plastic booties and gloves, the students huddled around a poster of a cow’s reproductive system and recited body parts.

``Ovary, oviduct, uterine horn,’’ the students called out as a technician from Genex pointed to parts on the poster. The activity was preparation for a job shadowing experience few high schools can boast about, a hands-on attempt to artificially inseminate cows, as well as learn about the career from those who do it professionally.

The students are members of the current class of Junior Dairy Leaders, a program of Cornell University’s animal science department and Pro Dairy, an outreach program that offers education in cow nutrition, manure handling, and farm management for farmers and agri-service professionals. The youth program aims to draw an enthusiastic and prepared next generation into farming and agri-service.

``The Number 1 goal is to increase awareness of various careers and opportunities in the dairy industry. The Number 2 goal is to build enthusiasm for careers in the dairy industry,’’ said Kim Skellie, an advisor to the Junior Dairy Leader program and co-owner of Hi-Brow dairy farm in Washington County.

In late 2006, the New York Farm Viability Institute awarded the Junior Dairy Leader program a grant of $88,000 for two years of programming and documenting the relationship between completing the class, attending college and finding jobs on farms or in agri-service. The Institute is a state-funded and farmer-led nonprofit group that supports research to increase farm profits.

``The need to attract youth to dairy careers is routinely identified by dairy farmers as a priority issue and among the top barriers to success facing the dairy industry in New York State,’’ said John Lincoln, president of the New York Farm Viability Institute board of directors and operator of Linholm dairy farm in Ontario County.

Attracting youth to dairy careers ranked seven of 27 issues at a needs-identification forum of farmers held in spring 2006 and used by the Institute to prioritize its grant funding decisions.

Growing dairy farmers

Most of the students selected for Junior Dairy Leader have some experience with farming, whether they live on a farm, own show animals, or have a relative that farms, said Deborah Grusenmeyer, program coordinator.

``People typically only see farming from one perspective. We try to expose them to organic and niche marketing, all the way through the bells and whistles of robotic milking,’’ Grusenmeyer said. ``People see that the dairy industry is bigger than my farm and my community. They see that there are both other kids and professionals in the dairy industry who are enthusiastic and excited.’’

For Dan Durfee, a senior high school student from Chittenango, Junior Dairy Leader helped him choose agriculture over other career paths, he said.

``It helped reinforce that I want to go into the dairy industry more than anything. I was thinking about opening a restaurant. I am a good cook,’’ Durfee said. ``Now, I am thinking about managing a large dairy or becoming a large animal vet. I kind of want to do both.’’

Durfee, like many of his classmates, hopes to attend Cornell.

Junior Dairy Leader is, in part, a response to the trend of fewer school districts offering agricultural classes.

``Some of the students come from schools where guidance counselors tell them there is no future in dairy,’’ Grusenmeyer said. ``You get a different message here.’’

Junior Dairy Leader is for youth ages 16-19. A panel of agri-service professionals selects students based on their leadership, technical and public speaking skills, as well as essays and interviews.

The Junior Dairy Leader program kicks off with a trip to the National 4-H Dairy Conference, held during the World Dairy Expo held each fall in Madison, Wis. Throughout the year, the class meets eight times for 2-6 days each. Modules include animal nutrition, herd health, farm business management and more. Students learn team building, leadership and communication skills along the way.

The program includes multiple farm visits, where students compare and analyze different farm management styles.

Planting program seeds

Junior Dairy Leader has run annually since 1999 and 163 people count themselves as graduates.

Ninety-eight percent of those graduates went on to college, Grusenmeyer said.

Eighty-seven percent of the college-bound students pursued degrees in dairy science or agri-business, with another 10 percent going after degrees in education, Grusenmeyer said.

The Junior Dairy Leader program grew from a visit to the 1999 World Dairy Expo. Pro-Dairy staff chaperoned 12 students on the trip.

``We had an idea for this yearlong program for youth that was different than the typical 4-H programs and was innovative, but how it was going to look was just some ideas on paper,’’ Grusenmeyer recalled. ``After going to Wisconsin with this first group of kids in 1999 who were interested in the dairy industry, we asked them if they would like to do more things together. Their answer was yes, so that is how it started. We ended up doing five or six programs with the first class and things have just built from there.’’

By 2003-2004, class size reached 22 youth, and has included 22-24 students ever since.

``We have learned by doing, input from the participants, exchanging ideas, and expanding resources,’’ Grusenmeyer said.

Twin sisters Rebecca and Sarah Andrew of Newark are among this year’s Junior Dairy Leaders. They are used to caring for calves on their father’s farm. Sarah plans to become a veterinarian.

``Junior Dairy Leader has helped me met pre-vet majors that are in college now and ask them what courses they are taking, and met a few professors.’’

The girls are juniors in a home school curriculum and hope to attend Cornell.

``When I started Junior Dairy Leader, I knew I wanted to do something in agriculture, but I did not know what. I wanted to explore the options,’’ Rebecca said. ``I have learned you have to be open-minded. There is a lot out there and you cannot be stuck in your ways.’’




New York Farm Viability Institute is an independent, farmer-led nonprofit organization that directs and funds farm-level research to increase profits, reduce costs and other barriers, create jobs and encourage practical innovation on the farm. The Institute receives funds from the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets. Visit www.nyfvi.org.