Gopher Dairy Club

09/15/2026

The results are in, and we couldn’t be more proud to announce that the University of Minnesota placed 1st Overall! 🎉
Congratulations to our incredible team:�L to R: Tyler Ratka, Evan Hathaway, Rachel Visser, and Jacob Harbaugh�
Coaches: (pictured) Dr. Isaac Haagen (not pictured) Dr. Les Hansen, Eric Houdek, and Gabriella Houdek
The team Accomplishments:�
🥇 1st - Ayrshire�
🥇 1st - Holstein�
🥈 2nd - Reasons�
🥈 2nd - Brown Swiss�
🥈 2nd - Jersey
Individual accomplishments:�
🥈 Evan Hathaway - 2nd Overall, 4th Reasons, 2nd Brown Swiss�
🏅 Jacob Harbaugh - 5th Overall, 2nd Guernsey, 5th Ayrshire�
🏅 Tyler Ratka 6th - Overall, 5th Reasons, 1st Ayrshire, 1st Holstein
🏅 Rachel Visser - 2nd Ayrshire

A special thank you to all the farms that welcomed us to practice for this contest without your support this would not be possible!

Thank you to the coaches that provided us with so much wisdom, knowledge and expertise. We are grateful for all the time and effort you put into helping our team succeed!

Congratulations, Tyler, Evan, Rachel, and Jacob! We are so proud of you!

09/14/2026

Our first meeting was a huge success and we are proud to have so many new members!

Back Row L to R: Anna Rott, Blake Siewert, Tristen Ostrom, Dylan Ryan, Mason Lichy, Griffin Hutchins, Clayton Witte and Connor Stoneking

Middle Row L to R: Lilly West, Brianna Brogan, Alison Gartman, Mattea Quigley, Lilly Peterson, Liv Vander Kooi, Ahna Heins, Rachel Issacs, Hadessa Adsit

Front Row L to R: Lauren Silveira, Mara Endres, Ella Aarsvold, Darby Trent, Madelyn Meulemans

Welcome to Gopher Dairy Club, we cant wait to see what this year has in store for all of our members!

09/10/2026

The Minnesota State Fair has officially come to a close! 🎡🐄
We are so thankful for everyone who stopped by and supported the Gopher Dairy Bar throughout the fair. Your support helps our club succeed.
We especially want to thank our managers, who work hard behind the scenes to make it all possible. A huge thank you to Trevor and Kaitlin for serving as this year’s managers, and to Leah and Evan for being our Junior Bar Managers!
We couldn’t do it without you!

09/08/2026

‼️OUR FIRST MEETING IS TONIGHT‼️
Tonight at 7:00 PM is the first Gopher Dairy Club meeting of the year! We can’t wait to see everyone tonight in FSCN Room 15!
Reach out if you have any questions!

08/28/2026

🚨 TOMORROW! 🚨

Don’t forget that the Gopher Dairy Club Alumni Reunion is TOMORROW, August 29th!

Please see the map for directions to the Horton Pavilions, and reach out if you have any questions!

We can’t wait to see everyone and reconnect at the fair! 🎡🐮

⏰ 4:00–7:30 PM
📍 Horton Pavilions MN State Fair
🗓️ August 29, 2026

See you tomorrow! 🎉

08/27/2026

🍦✨ This year’s Flavor of the Fair is SALTED CARAMEL!! ✨🍦

It combines the perfect mix of sweet and salty for a delicious treat you won’t want to miss! 🤎🧂

Don’t forget to stop by the Gopher Dairy Bar today through Labor Day, from 8:00 AM–10:00 PM, to try the Flavor of the Fair or enjoy any of our other delicious flavors! 🐄

08/13/2026

You're invited!

Join us for the Gopher Dairy Club reunion as we connect with past and present members, share memories and celebrate another great year for GDC.

⏰ 4:00-7:30PM
📍Horton Pavilions, MN State Fair
🗓️ August 29th 2026

If you have questions please reach out on our facebook or instagram pages!

We hope to see you there! 🎉

08/07/2026

Congratulations Jacob, Alexis and Tyler! 🎉

Students in their third year of college are eligible for the Merton Sowerby Junior Merit Scholarship. Merton Sowerby was a dairy leader internationally recognized for his expertise as a classifier and judge of dairy cattle. The scholarship is to encourage qualified undergraduate students to pursue a career related to dairy and have demonstrated leadership skills, academic ability, and interest in dairy cattle.

The top recipient receiving a $2,000 scholarship is Brianna Meyer, a dairy science student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

The remaining recipients receiving $1,500 scholarships are:

Joseph Achen, an agricultural business student at Iowa State University

Jacob Harbaugh, a student at the University of Minnesota majoring in animal science and applied economics.

Alexis Hoefs, an animal science student at the University of Minnesota

Tyler Ratka, a student at the University of Minnesota majoring in animal science and agricultural and food business management.

Garrett Ulness, a dairy science student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison

Congratulations!

08/06/2026

Congratulations Trevor! 🎉

Our next scholarship recognition is for the Mike Lancaster Sophomore Merit Scholarship. Mike Lancaster, owner and operator of Olympic Vista Dairy Farm in Sequim, Washington, was an industry leader and an outstanding supporter of student programs and activities. The scholarship is to encourage qualified undergraduate students to pursue a career related to dairy and have demonstrated leadership skills, academic ability, and interest in dairy cattle.

The scholarship is available to any undergraduate student currently enrolled in their second year in a four-year college.

Receiving top honors with the $2,000 scholarship is Ainsley Sellers, an animal science major at Penn State.

Receiving $1,500 scholarships are:
Summer Hammann, dairy science major at the University of Wisconsin-Madison

Trevor Hath, a student at the University of Minnesota majoring in animal science with a dairy production emphasis.

Julianne Headings, an agricultural communications major minoring in dairy science at The Ohio State University.

Zachary Johnson, an animal science major at The Ohio State University.

Hannah King, a student at Penn State majoring in animal science.

Kelsey Timp, a dairy science and agricultural communications major at Iowa State University.

Congratulations!

08/01/2026

Congratulations Kaitlin and Rachel! 🎉

The Dairy Shrine/DMI Education & Communication Scholarship is to encourage qualified undergraduate students to pursue education or communication careers in dairy product industry or related food industries.

The scholarship is available to any undergraduate student currently enrolled in their sophomore or junior year in a four-year college with an explicit interest in dairy industry education or communication.

The top recipient receiving a $2,000 scholarship is Clancey Krahn, an animal science and agricultural communications major at Oklahoma State University.

The other recipients of $1,500 scholarships are:

Abigale Bricker, a student at Penn State majoring in agricultural and extension education.

Sara Kennedy, majoring in animal science and nutritional sciences at Penn State

Kaitlin Reitmeier, a student at the University of Minnesota majoring in agricultural education and animal sciences.

Rachel Visser, majoring in agricultural and food business management and agricultural communications and marketing at the University of Minnesota.

Natalie Yoder, a student at Penn State majoring in agribusiness management.

Congratulations!