Minnesota Ag Connection - Students to Gain Dairy Nutrition Experience this Summer

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Students to Gain Dairy Nutrition Experience this Summer
Minnesota Ag Connection - 06/04/2020

Two students will gain experience in dairy management and the feed industry as Vita Plus interns this summer. Brock Irwin and Vanessa Roberts will work on different teams and focus on specific projects for the duration of the summer while learning the values of Vita Plus.

Irwin is from Belvidere, Ill., and is currently a student at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls studying dairy science and agribusiness. Irwin grew up on his family's 60-cow dairy farm, where he managed the show cattle and calves. His family sold the milking cows recently, but that didn't stop him from pursuing his interests in the dairy industry. He is currently the area three junior representative on the National Junior Holstein Association's Junior Advisory Committee, and also of a member of the UW-River Falls Dairy Judging Team, Dairy Club, Collegiate Farm Bureau, and InterVarsity. Irwin has also gained valuable industry experience from a genetics company internship, as a herd manager, as a farm marketing intern, and as a media intern for World Dairy Expo. This summer, Irwin will conduct a survey on Minnesota dairy farms to determine the influence extra dietary factors have on robotic milking system productivity.

Roberts is from Whitelaw, Wis., and currently a student at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities studying animal science and agriculture and food business management. Roberts is an active member on her family's livestock farm, where she helps make nutritional, breeding, and management decisions for the farm's cattle and sheep, and she also has experience working with show cattle and dairy judging. At the University of Minnesota, Roberts manages the sheep barn and is a member of the Block and Bridle Club, Gopher Dairy Club, and Livestock Judging Team This summer, Roberts will collect and analyze data from dairy farms in central Wisconsin to determine if ration software can more reliably predict calorie requirements and protein efficiency based on seasonal and dietary changes.

Vita Plus Corporation is an employee-owned company headquartered in Madison, Wisconsin, and has been serving livestock producers since 1948.

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