By Blake Jackson
Sixty-three middle and high school students gathered at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in mid-July for the four-day Badger Dairy Camp, an immersive program designed to introduce youth ages 12-17 to Wisconsin’s dairy industry.
Camp participants explored career opportunities through hands-on activities, campus lab visits, the UW School of Veterinary Medicine, a local dairy farm, college preparation sessions, and recreational events.
“One of my favorite sessions was learning about the reproductive tract. That was pretty cool,” said Grace Elmhorst, a high school freshman from Granton, Wisconsin whose family runs Romadka View Holsteins.
“We got to see the reproductive organs, and one of the cows was pregnant with twins, so we got to see that.”
The 2026 camp marked the return of the popular program after its last session in 2018. Support from the UW Dairy Innovation Hub, Compeer Financial, Hoard’s Dairyman, the UW–Madison Department of Animal and Dairy Sciences, and other sponsors made its revival possible.
“We were thrilled to bring back Badger Dairy Camp and see such a positive response. The feedback we heard at check-out was overwhelmingly positive, with students sharing how much they enjoyed the hands-on experiences, new friendships, and career exploration opportunities,” said event co-organizer Eric Ronk, a member of ADS’ teaching faculty.
“It truly took a village to make this camp a success, and we are grateful to everyone who contributed their time, talents and other support to create such a meaningful experience for these students.”
Camp programming focused on the Dairy Innovation Hub’s priorities while also featuring dairy judging and linear evaluation.
“I’ve done linear evaluation before as part of a 4H judging team, but it’s cool to get to learn from the UW’s dairy judging coaches and members of the team,” said Evan Brey, a rising freshman at Southern Door High School whose family runs Brey Cycle Farm in Sturgeon Bay.
“They’re obviously a lot more experienced at contests, and the Wisconsin judging team is pretty prestigious – so it’s exciting to learn from them.”
“We need to recruit students from both agricultural and nonagricultural backgrounds to sustain the dairy workforce and local communities in Wisconsin,” said co-organizer Laura Hernandez.
“That’s the long-term goal of this program – to inspire, prepare, and support young people as future leaders in Wisconsin’s dairy sector.”
Photo Credit: michael-p-king
Categories: Wisconsin, Education, Livestock, Dairy Cattle