Angie Barnard Executive Director at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign | LinkedIn
Angie Barnard Executive Director at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign | LinkedIn
The 2023 Superior Young Dairy Producer Award (SYDPA) program took place on August 19, in conjunction with the Illinois State Fair. Eighteen 4-H dairy project members from across Illinois participated in the event, aiming for one of three $1,000 scholarships.
The contest aims to promote youth development, career growth, and personal improvement by increasing knowledge of the dairy industry. The competition consists of three phases focusing on various aspects of the dairy sector.
This year’s scholarships were sponsored by Prairie Farms Dairy and awarded to Ben Bremmer from Stephenson County, August Michels from Richland County, and AJ Lenkaitis from Saline County.
Individual plaques were sponsored by Land of Lincoln Purebred Livestock Breeders Association and Illinois State Fair. These were given to the top three contestants in each phase as well as overall winners.
In the first phase, participants took a dairy management test covering topics like nutrition, herd health, reproduction, and milk marketing. The top performers in this segment were Ben Bremmer of Stephenson County, August Michels of Richland County, and Dakota Schober of Boone County.
The second phase involved a skill-a-thon with stations focused on identifying dairy feeds, records information, and equipment. Ben Bremmer again ranked among the top three alongside August Michels and AJ Lenkaitis.
During the third phase—an animal judging contest—participants evaluated four classes of dairy cows and two classes of heifers. Ben Bremmer continued his strong performance along with August Michels and AJ Lenkaitis leading this section too.
Sponsored by the Illinois State Fair, SYDPA awards three $1,000 scholarships annually for dairy projects. Additionally, nine scholarships are distributed among beef, sheep, and swine project members. Contestants must be between 14-18 years old to compete.
"Source/Writer: Derek Nolan," stated Extension Faculty Specialist at dtnolan@illinois.edu about these achievements.
Illinois 4-H is part of University of Illinois Extension under its College of Agriculture division. It focuses on empowering young people through hands-on experiences that encourage leadership skills while preparing them for future careers. Research indicates that 4-H participants are more likely to engage positively within their communities than non-participants.
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