UMaine Dairy Challenge

05/06/2026

Thank you Phoenix Feeds & Nutrition for everything that you’ve contributed to our team!

Congratulations to the UMaine Dairy Challenge Team on bringing home 3rd place for their farm evaluation in the North American Intercollegiate Dairy Challenge!🥉👏

The contest was held in last month in Sioux Falls, South Dakota with 282 student participants from 42 Universities across the U.S. and Canada.

The Dairy Challenge is a two-and-a-half-day competition where four-person teams evaluate a well-managed dairy farm business and present management recommendations to a panel of industry and academic judges.

This achievement reflects months of preparation, teamwork, and a strong foundation in dairy knowledge. From weekly training sessions to hands-on farm evaluations, these students put their skills to the test on a national stage and delivered an impressive result.

Join us in congratulating the 2026 team on a job well done. Phoenix is a proud sponsor of the UMaine Dairy Challenge Team to support the next generation of dairy leaders.

04/17/2026

Sunday night through Tuesday our members took part in the North American Intercollegiate Dairy Challenge. This event was the most attended in the history of the competition, with 36 Contest teams, and 140 academy participants. Our contest team placed third in their division, competing against schools such as the Ohio State University, Penn State, and Texas A&M. Our Academy members were each on aggregate teams with an industry expert, who took on the role of advisor to help them through the learning process of farm analysis. We are so proud of our members and everything they have accomplished.
While the team put in time each week at practices, we cannot have gotten to Sioux Falls without the help of our sponsors. Thank you to our Cow level sponsors , , and ; as well as our Calf level sponsors , , and Taylor Farms. Also, huge thank you to our advisor Dr. Pereira for all the time and effort you put in, to Dr. Motta for traveling with us to SD and setting up an amazing tour with , and to Ethan from for helping us learn how to navigate farm financials, we learned so much from our sessions!

Thank you all! 🐮💙🐻

04/16/2026

Congratulations to our contest team for placing third for Farm B! A lot of time and effort was put in to weekly practices, and we are proud to say it all paid off in the end. 🥉

Top: Amanda Allan, Riley McAllaster
Bottom: Cece Desautell, Felicity Gregware

04/13/2026

Today the team got to tour Perry Creek Dairy, a ~4000 cow facility that houses an 80 stall rotary system. It was super interesting to learn about how different milking systems are utilized in the area, as well as being able to experience a farm that is at the top of its game in all aspects. 🌟
Thank you for opening up your farm to us! (And for the ice cream of course😊)

04/12/2026

We had an amazing time touring SDSU and their extensive facilities! Our members got to learn all about the creamery, nutrition and reproductive labs, small ruminant, beef, and dairy facilities.🍨🧪🐑🐄

💙Thank you!💛

04/11/2026

The team is off bright and early to Sioux Falls! Huge shout out to our Cow level sponsors, Phoenix Feeds and Nutrition, Poulin Grain, and University of Maine School of Food and Agriculture💙🐮