UW students help run World Dairy Expo

About 100 UW–Madison undergraduate students worked at the 2017 World Dairy Expo to make it run smoothly. The expo, which took place Oct. 3-7 at the Alliant Energy Center, is the nation’s largest dairy cattle show and trade show.

The students were mostly members of the Badger Dairy Club and Collegiate Farm Bureau.

Some key students who made it work:

– General Chair J.J. McClelland is in charge of all of the student workers and assisting wherever is needed. McClelland put in the most hours this year, working a total of 204 hours. Co-General Chair Riley Miller is in training to be the general chair for next year.

– Showring Chairs Rachel Gerbitz and Rachel Gries decorated the showring. The expo’s theme was “Discover New Dairy Worlds,” so the showring featured a ship sailing on a sea of blue shavings, which they kept clear of manure and garbage.

– Grounds Chairs Michael Moede and Zach Endres kept the grounds clean, using skid loaders to clear manure and sweep. They also collected milk from 16 receptacles that is produced by the dairy cattle during the event.

– Milkhouse Chairs Danielle Warmka and Brooke Trustem are in charge of the milkhouse. They help the dairy cattle exhibitors while they’re milking cows, and they clean the milkhouse daily.

– Signage Chairs Sam Danton, Zach Lensmire and Tyler Vande Wettering control the signs, from directional signs to advertisements in the bathrooms. They deliver the World Dairy Expo newspaper each morning.

– Cheese Stand Chairs Connor Willems and Emily Matzke run the Grilled Cheese Stand that is staffed by students from Badger Dairy Club and Collegiate Farm Bureau. The proceeds support those groups’ activities. This year they sold nearly 30,000 grilled cheese sandwiches and around 12,000 chocolate shakes.

– Business Chairs Bailey Larson and Marisa Klister drive the student workers to and from campus, and make sure that the students have the correct paperwork turned in so that they can get paid.

In addition to the student presence, faculty/staff from the College of Agriculture and Life Science are there doing demonstrations/talks, recruiting students and hosting a reception for alumni and industry partners.
The expo by the numbers:

68,710: attendees at this year’s event
2,752: international guests from 97 different countries
884: companies with a booth in the trade show
2,356: Cattle exhibited at World Dairy Expo
1,576: 4th grade students that took part in a school tour
4,275: hours students worked in the days leading up to and during the expo