Animal sciences student places high at international dairy judging contest
Lane Bollenbacher, a senior studying animal sciences, placed third overall at the North American International Livestock Exposition (NAILE) Invitational Dairy Judging Contest on Nov. 4.
Bollenbacher competed against 56 other contestants from 16 different colleges around the U.S. He placed ninth in Ayrshires, eighth in Brown Swiss, fifth in Jerseys, first in Guernseys, fourth in Reasons and third overall in the contest.
Lane Bollenbacher (right) holds his awards while standing with Brian Engleking (left), the head coach of the Purdue Dairy Judging Team. Bollenbacher grew up around dairy cattle, and he said it was a goal of his to be on the Purdue Dairy Judging Team. He is now a current member of the team and is coached by Brian Engleking.
Luckily, I had a great coach like Brian to help me get to where I could be competitive. When you show up every day with the same mindset as the late Steve Hendress (‘it's a great day to judge cows’), being a part of dairy judging is a whole lot of fun.
- Lane Bollenbacher
Featured Stories
Hydroponics – growing crops in nutrient-enriched water instead of soil – is a...
Sophie Low, a wildlife major with a minor in forensic science, was selected as FNR's...
Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming the global food system — from how crops are...
The Food Safety Human Factor Lab within the Department of Food Science at Purdue University is...
Half a billion years ago, a shallow sea covered an equatorial landmass today known as Indiana and...
The Department of Animal Sciences announced its 2026 graduate student awards.