BRATTLEBORO, Vt. July 7, 2022 — Youth from coast to coast recently shared competition and comradery while competing in Holstein Foundation’s national youth competitions. The contests were held in Sioux Falls, South Dakota as part of the 2022 National Holstein Convention from June 27 to July 1.

"Each year, Holstein Foundation contests give youth the chance to increase their knowledge of the agriculture industry in a fun, rewarding way," says Kelli Dunklee, Holstein Association USA Youth Program Specialist. "The competitions held during National Junior Holstein Convention give contestants the opportunity to stretch their skills and engage with peers and mentors within the dairy community."

The session will focus on understanding today’s consumers, dairy innovation, and career opportunities within the food science field. Experts from DMI will lead participants through an interactive case study on a dairy product innovation during the seminar.

Dairy Jeopardy
Almost 70 contestants from 18 different states competed in the Dairy Jeopardy competition. The competition is based on the popular television game show and features a wide range of dairy-related questions in several categories. Following are the top three individuals in each age division.

Junior Division (ages 9 to 13)
1st: Alison Gartman, Wisconsin
2nd: Kyle Ainger, Illinois
3rd: Layne Mull, California

Intermediate Division (ages 14 to 17)
1st: Rachel Craun, Virginia
2nd: Elsie Donlick, New York
3rd: Bennett Dunstan, New York

Senior Division (ages 18 to 21)
1st: Abbi Prins, California
2nd: Daniel Clapp, Connecticut
3rd: Kylie Konyn, California

Dairy Bowl
In the National Dairy Bowl contest, four-person teams compete within two age divisions: Junior, ages 9-15, and Senior, ages 16-21. A total of 26 teams participated this year, 13 teams in each division.

Facing off in the Junior Division championship match were the teams from California and Illinois. Winning first prize was the California team with members Sophie van Loben Sels, Karley Rocha, Lauren Silveira, Chloe Chapman, and coach Dawn Rocha.

Competing on the Illinois team were Jake Ainger, Evan Beal, Alaina Dinderman, Katelyn Dorn, and coach John Mitchell. Rounding out the top five junior teams were Pennsylvania in third, New England in fourth, and Wisconsin in fifth.

California and New York faced off in a competitive final round in the Senior Division. Members of the winning California team included Rachel Mancebo, Emma van Loben Sels, Mykel Mull, and Victoria Paolini, coached by Kirsten Areias.

On the second-place Senior team from New York were Gabriella Taylor, Alysha Kuhn, Annika Donlick, and William Andrew, coached by Jonathan Taylor. Other teams in the top five included Iowa in third, Pennsylvania in fourth, and Wisconsin in fifth.

J. George & Anna Smith Sportsmanship awards are given to one Dairy Bowl team in each division who best exemplify the principles of courtesy, friendliness, and team spirit throughout the competition. Each team receives a cash award and plaque. In the Junior Division the award was presented to Wisconsin, with team members Evan Brey, Emily Ossmann, Tristen Ostrom, Madison Wiese, and coaches Rachel Gerbitz and Peggy Coffeen. In the Senior Division, the honor went to the team from Iowa with team members Regan Demmer, Isaiah Hammerand, Trenton Hammerand, Brynlee Volker, and coach Jeff Hammerand.

Dairy Knowledge Exam
The Dairy Knowledge Exam is open to any youth attending the National Junior Holstein Convention who wants to challenge their dairy know-how with a 25-question written test. Like Dairy Bowl, youth are divided into two groups by age. The top three individuals in each division for the Dairy Knowledge Exam were as follows.

Junior Division
1st: Karley Rocha, California
2nd: Elsie Donlick, New York
3rd: Sydney Bullard, Maine

Senior Division
1st: Abbi Prins, California
2nd: Annika Donlick, New York
3rd: Isaiah Hammerand, Iowa

For more information about Holstein Foundation youth programs, visit www.holsteinfoundation.org or contact Kelli Dunklee, youth programs specialist, at 800.952.5200, ext. 4124, or by email .

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BRATTLEBORO, Vt. March 21, 2022 — The Holstein Foundation will host its first ever virtual Spring into Action Seminar on April 12, 2022, at 7 p.m. EST. The hour-long session titled, Think Outside the Milk Bottle - Bringing Dairy Innovation to Life, is sponsored by Dairy Management Inc. (DMI).

"We are excited to be partnering with the Holstein Foundation on the Spring into Action Seminar to share consumer trends and show how dairy product innovation comes to life," says Nate Janssen, Vice President of Farmer Relations at DMI.

The session will focus on understanding today’s consumers, dairy innovation, and career opportunities within the food science field. Experts from DMI will lead participants through an interactive case study on a dairy product innovation during the seminar.

"The virtual format of the seminar will allow youth from across the country to come together and learn about a unique aspect of the dairy industry in a fun and engaging way," says Kelli Dunklee, Holstein Foundation Youth Programs Specialist.

Key information from the Spring into Action Seminar will also be incorporated into the Holstein Foundation’s Dairy Bowl and Dairy Jeopardy contests in 2022. All youth with an interest in the dairy industry, Junior Holstein members, coaches, parents, and advisors are encouraged to attend the seminar.

Youth interested in attending the seminar can register using this link. Participants who register for the seminar by the April 8, 2022, deadline, attend the session, and complete the follow-up survey after the seminar will be eligible for fun prizes.

Contact Kelli Dunklee at 800.952.5200 ext. 4124 or by email with questions about the Spring into Action Seminar. For more information about Holstein Foundation visit www.holsteinfoundation.org

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BRATTLEBORO, Vt. February 24, 2022 —The Young Dairy Leaders Institute (YDLI) kicked off Phase I of its Class 12 program February 15 – 18, 2022. Over 50 young adults working in the dairy industry gathered in Fort Worth, Texas for the leadership development conference. YDLI is the cornerstone program of the Holstein Foundation.

The theme for YDLI Class 12, Drive to Thrive, encompasses participants’ passion for personal and professional growth and using their skills to impact the dairy industry. Holstein Foundation Programs Manager Jodi Hoynoski says she saw this in action throughout the week.

"There is so much that impresses me about the participants in YDLI, but I think the biggest thing is they’re saying, ‘I want to be a better leader.’ They’re putting themselves out there, they’re making themselves vulnerable, and I think that is so impressive," Hoynoski said.

Class 12 participants ignited their drive to thrive during the three-day conference through engaging sessions focused on interpersonal communications, team culture, growth mindset, agricultural advocacy, and more. The top-notch line up of presenters included Kelli Vrla, CSP, CVP, CCSP, Road Warrior for Workplace Engagement; Galen Emanuele, president of Shift Yes; and Paul Vitale, motivational speaker and trainer. As participants stretched their skills during the workshops, they enjoyed building connections with fellow dairy industry professionals.

"One of the common things I hear from YDLI graduates is their excitement about the network that they developed while they were here at YDLI. In this class, we have participants from over 20 states, Canada and Puerto Rico, and probably in a lot of cases they’re making new friends for life," Hoynoski said.

The presentations wrapped with a session focused on effective storytelling led by Michele Ruby, communication consultant and Holstein Foundation board member. Participants applied what they learned during practice sessions throughout the conference and will continue to draw on their new knowledge as they set personal development goals and plan community outreach projects during Phase II of the program.

"Everyone is so amazing and inspiring in their own way. Everyone is trying to do their part from where they are in the industry. You have people that are on the farm, you have people that are in the service industry, and you can see how everyone is really trying to play their part from where they are in the industry to try and make it better, preserve it, and really work toward communicating that. I feel like I’m going back with renewed energy into my passion projects," says Kritzia Lopez Arvelo, YDLI Class 12 participant from Camuy, Puerto Rico.

Mary Knigge was also recognized as the 2022 YDLI Distinguished Alumni Leader. Knigge completed Class 6 of YDLI and is currently the Vice President of Government Relations for the Dairy Farmers of America. She says YDLI exposed her to different careers in the dairy industry and cemented her passion for working with and for dairy farmers.

About YDLI

Holstein Foundation’s Young Dairy Leaders Institute is a nationally recognized three-phase leadership and communication skills development program for young adults working in the dairy industry. YDLI’s three-phase approach ensures participants develop and implement leadership skills to real-life scenarios.

Thank you to our generous YDLI Class 12 sponsors including Allflex Livestock Intelligence and Merck Animal Health, CHS Foundation, Holstein Association USA, and Zoetis at the platinum level. On the gold sponsor level are Cargill, Dairy Management Inc., Hoard’s Dairyman, Farm Credit, Farm Credit Northeast AgEnhancement, Land O’Lakes, Inc., and Northeast Agricultural Education Foundation, Inc. Rounding out the sponsors were Total Dairy Solutions & DeLaval at the silver level and COBA/Select Sires and GEA Farm Technologies, Inc. at the bronze level.

Applications for YDLI Class 13 will be due August 1, 2023. Young adults interested in attending can sign up to be notified when applications are available www.holsteinfoundation.org/YDLI/ydli.html.

For more information about YDLI or other Holstein Foundation programs, visit www.holsteinfoundation.org or contact Jodi Hoynoski at 800.952.5200 ext. 4261 or by email

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BRATTLEBORO, Vt. January 25, 2021 — The Holstein Foundation has selected Mary Knigge of Falls Church, VA as the 2022 Young Dairy Leaders Institute Distinguished Alumni Leader. The Holstein Foundation recognizes one Young Dairy Leaders Institute (YDLI) graduate annually who has made noteworthy contributions and applied skills gained during their YDLI experience for the advancement of the dairy industry.

Knigge completed Class 6 of YDLI early in her career and says the experience helped her to identify her unique strengths and skill set. It also was the foundation for many meaningful connections with others in the dairy industry.

"At YDLI, I was exposed to people working in different facets of the industry from a variety of locations. Hearing different perspectives, from organic to conventional, large and small and even Canadians, was important for a girl from Wisconsin. I learned from and developed strong relationships with other attendees," Knigge said. "Those relationships continued to grow at various industry meetings where our paths would cross after our class with YDLI was complete."

Knigge is currently the Vice President of Government Relations for the Dairy Farmers of America, where she advocates on behalf of dairy farmer member owners on Capitol Hill and with U.S. Government Agencies. Prior to that, she spent eight years working for the U.S. House of Representatives Committee of Agriculture and seven years with the National Milk Producers Federation.

Outside of her career in the dairy industry and government relations for Dairy Farmers of America, she currently serves on the Dairy Girl Network Board and is involved in the Association of Women in Agriculture. She has also volunteered with the National Dairy Shrine as a publicity committee member and scholarship judge.

"YDLI helped expose me to the variety of careers in the dairy industry and cemented my passion for working directly for and with dairy farmers. That was something I always thought I was interested in, but after going through YDLI, it became much clearer," Knigge explained. "In the three different positions I have held since graduating from college, my role has been focused on the betterment of dairy farmers and their communities."

Knigge will be honored during the upcoming YDLI Class 12, Phase I program being held February 15 – 18 in Fort Worth, Texas.

The Young Dairy Leaders Institute, a program of the Holstein Foundation, is a national recognized three-phase leadership and communication skills development program for young adults (ages 22-45) working in the dairy industry. For more information about YDLI or Holstein Foundation programs, visit www.holsteinfoundation.org or contact Jodi Hoynoski at 800.952.5200 ext. 4261 or by email

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