19th Western Regional Dairy Challenge
Hosted by Utah State University and the Western Regional Committee
Richfield, Utah
Thursday, February 22 – Saturday, February 24, 2024
Registration deadline: February 8, 2024
On behalf of the Western Regional committee of the North American Intercollegiate Dairy Challenge, it is our privilege to invite you to participate in the 19th Annual Western Regional Dairy Challenge. The event will be held in Richfield, Utah February 22-24, hosted by Utah State University and the Western Region. We thank you for your continued support of the Western Regional Dairy Challenge.
Sponsor Participation: We are building our list of volunteers to help with the event on Thursday evening through Saturday afternoon. Being involved and working directly with the students gives you a firsthand view of the students in action, plus a large volunteer pool helps the contest run smoothly.
Schedule: A listing of the scheduled events for this year’s contest will be posted on the Western Dairy Challenge web page at http://www.dairychallenge.org/contests
Sponsor Volunteer Registration: Please submit information for each volunteer from your company using this online form. Forms are due Thursday, February 8, 2024.
Hotel: Our headquarter hotel for this event is the Holiday Inn Express Richfield Utah. A block of rooms is being held under “Dairy Challenge Volunteer Block” until Thursday, February 8, 2024. Please call the hotel directly to make appropriate reservations. All volunteers (sponsors, judges, mentors) are responsible for making their own reservations. Rooms at this hotel are limited so you are encouraged to book at your earliest convenience.
Holiday Inn Express
20 W 1400 N
Richfield, UT 84701
(435) 896-8552
Group name: Dairy Challenge Volunteer block
Arrival date: 02/22/2024
Departure date: 02/24/2024
Room rate: $145+tax/room/night includes breakfast
Last date of booking: 02/08/2024
Meal Tickets: Meals are a great opportunity to interact with students and other volunteers. However, a significant portion of our sponsorship dollars go toward event meals. New this year we are asking volunteers to purchase meal tickets so sponsorship dollars can be used to support student involvement. Tickets can be purchased in advance on this form
o Lunch Tickets (Friday and Saturday): $15 each
o Dinner Tickets (Thursday and Friday) : $20 each
Sponsor Display: Gold Level sponsors and above ($5000 and above) are invited to set up a complimentary company display at Sevier County Fairgrounds on Saturday morning, February 24, 2024. Please indicate your desire to reserve a display spot using the online registration form. Electricity will be available, but you will need to supply your own electrical cords. All sponsors are encouraged to interact with students and University coaches and view student presentations on Saturday. Remember because of the number of teams, presentations will be going simultaneously.
Mentors: We are seeking a large number of volunteers to serve as Mentors. This is an important role as Mentors work side by side with the student teams to guide them through the farm analysis process. With enough volunteers, we hope to assign a Team Mentor to each team and have a pool of Roaming Mentors. If you are interested in serving as a Mentor, indicate as such when registering. Please note:
· Team Mentors must be available starting with the Mentor Meeting at 6:30 PM Thursday until after your team presents on Saturday no later than 2:00 PM. Staying for the entire event (through presentations early afternoon on Saturday Friday) allows for more interaction with your team and provides cohesiveness for the team. Mentors will review data with students Thursday evening, tour the dairy on Friday morning, offer guidance while assembling their presentation on Friday afternoon, oversee team prep on Saturday, direct your team to their presentation room on Saturday, be present during the presentation, and be their guide to debriefing.
· Roaming Mentors: If you are interested in serving as a Mentor but not able to commit through Saturday, we suggest signing up as a Roaming Mentor or other volunteer role.
Mentors are asked to bring a camera or camera-capable phone to take pictures for their groups and be willing/able to download the pictures.
Mentors should be committed to the event and willing to work with students in a positive and supportive manner, encouraging participation and guiding them in their dairy assessment.
Qualities of a Good Mentor
Relevant Expertise or Knowledge
Enthusiasm for Sharing That Expertise
A Respectful Attitude
Eagerness to Invest in Others
Ability to Give Honest & Direct Feedback
Reflective Listening & Empathy
Willingness to be a Sponsor
If you are interested in serving as a Mentor, indicate as such when registering.
There are several other areas where assistance is needed including Manager Interviews on Friday, February 23, and presentation room and debriefing volunteers on Saturday, February 24. Please indicate your plans on the volunteer registration form. We kindly ask each volunteer from your company register separately using this online volunteer registration site.
Dairy Challenge T-Shirt: show your support by purchasing a Dairy Challenge shirt. Shirts are $15. Shirts can be ordered when registering as a volunteer and will be distributed onsite during the Western Regional event.
To Register: We kindly ask each individual attending from your company register using this form. Forms are due back Thursday, February 8, 2024. Go to the Western Contest Page at http://www.dairychallenge.org/contests for complete details. To register, use this form.
If you have questions about volunteering your company’s time at the event, please communicate with Volunteer Coordinator Jennifer Spencer, jennifer.spencer@ag.tamu.edu, PH: 254-595-6054.
On behalf of the steering committee, we thank you for your time, energy and commitment to the Dairy Challenge!
