Since its inception, the Dairy Innovation Hub has created research opportunities for nearly 500 students at UW–Madison, UW–Platteville, and UW–River Falls. These experiences engage students in Hub-related research and infrastructure that foster curiosity while encouraging future careers in Wisconsin’s diverse dairy community.
Student researchers take on various roles assisting with projects in the Hub’s four priority areas. These positions help students gain experience and training in a selected research area, while working alongside an experienced faculty member.
Across the country, most students in post-secondary dairy and ag programs do not have direct farming backgrounds. The future of the dairy workforce relies on co-curricular experiences like research, internships, and student organizations to help students begin to “see themselves” in the career path.
As these students complete their studies, their experiences follow wherever their careers take them. One student we profiled, Rachel Skinner, recently completed her bachelor’s degree at UW–River Falls and is starting a master’s program at Kansas State. Her major professor is a previous Hub-funded post-doctoral fellow from UW–Madison, and her research project at Kansas State will build off the work funded by the Hub in Wisconsin.
With the help of two undergraduate interns, we developed a simple marketing campaign to highlight animal and dairy science programs across the three campuses. Prospective students choose schools based on their own unique circumstances, and what’s important is that they choose WISCONSIN for their educational pursuits, regardless of the campus.
This campaign started with an animal emphasis, and version 2.0 will include other areas such as environmental science, food science, economics, and engineering – all areas important to the dairy community!
Check out a few print elements of the campaign:
Look for additional content on our digital platforms highlighting student and alumni perspectives at each participating campus.
The Hub has created a mechanism for collaboration between the three campuses and unique opportunities for students across multiple locations. This collective synergy makes each campus more attractive to prospective students.
Recruiting, training, and retaining the next generation of dairy talent is a core expectation for the Hub. We look forward to sharing more student stories and looking for ways to grow workforce development opportunities at our three campuses and beyond.
Maria Woldt serves as the program manager for the Dairy Innovation Hub. In this role, she assists in the management of the Hub budget, develops, and disseminates communications, and organizes events. Maria and her husband Nick own and operate a small dairy farm in Dane County. They have two girls, Lexington (6) and Giovanna (2.5). They are proud WFBF members who met at a Young Farmer and Agriculturist event!
The Hub represents a $7.8 million per year investment by the State of Wisconsin to keep our dairy community at the global forefront in producing nutritious dairy products in an economically, environmentally, and socially sustainable manner. The team behind the Dairy Innovation Hub strives to maintain open and transparent communication about our efforts, funded by the State of Wisconsin. For the Hub’s latest news and to join their mailing list, visit dairyinnovationhub.wisc.edu
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