Christmastime for dairy enthusiasts – World Dairy Expo
I’ve said this for as long as I can remember; World Dairy Expo is like Christmastime for dairy enthusiasts. Farmers and agriculturists count down the days and plan their flights and trips accordingly to witness the magic of this special event. The first week of October is a celebrated and anticipated week where nearly 75,000 people from more than 100 countries travel to America’s Dairyland.
The mission statement of this event gives way at its importance. “World Dairy Expo serves as a forum for dairy producers, companies, organizations and other dairy enthusiasts to come together to compete and to exchange ideas, knowledge, technology, and commerce.”
I have so many memories surrounding World Dairy Expo:
It’s a week that determined that fall sports weren’t for me as my high school volleyball coach told me I had to choose between cows and volleyball (easiest decision of my life!!)
It’s a week that when I was younger, would come home with garbage bags filled with pens, pencils, squishy cows, pumpkins and many more freebies that my cousin Jordan
and I searched for at the trade show
It’s a week where having a grilled cheese and a chocolate milkshake every day isn’t frowned upon, it’s celebrated.
It’s a week where you hope that the weather cooperates with your “best” barn clothes
It’s a week when you look forward to a dump truck unloading the most prized/anticipated shavings in the world. Colored… and sometimes even with a hint of glitter
It’s a week where college students send up a little prayer and hope that their professor hasn’t scheduled a final on one of those “sacred” days
Throughout the years I’ve continued to make more fantastic memories at World Dairy Expo. From exhibiting our dairy cattle and witnessing our homebred animals take top honors to walking away with a victory with my collegiate team at the National Intercollegiate Dairy Cattle Judging Contest, World Dairy Expo truly holds a bit of magic.
Visiting World Dairy Expo serves as an opportunity to see almost 2,500 head of cattle from across the United States and Canada compete. All seven breeds grace the colored shavings to compete against the best of the best.
This world class event’s trade show has over 900 vendors where visitors can witness cutting edge technology and the latest and greatest dairy equipment. Where else can you talk one-on-one with experts, researchers, and national sales representatives who live and breathe the dairy industry every single day?
World Dairy Expo also makes the perfect field trip day for fourth grade students in the Madison area. Expo will host tours and activities for fourth graders throughout the grounds. Students will be able to see dairy cattle close-up, observe the milking process, and learn how milk travels from the cow to their refrigerator. And of course, there will be plenty of delicious snacks of cheese and milk. I look forward to visiting with these students and teaching them a few news things about Wisconsin’s dairy industry.
Wisconsin’s impressive dairy industry is truly set on display at World Dairy Expo. From virtual tours featuring innovative Wisconsin dairy farms, Wisconsin dairy breeders, vendors and companies, and many networking opportunities, World Dairy Expo serves as a time to reflect on Wisconsin’s success. I encourage all agriculture enthusiasts to attend World Dairy Expo and see for yourself this remarkable event that draws thousands from across the globe to the capital of America’s Dairyland.
