Undergraduate Student Spotlight: Josie Burbrink
Josie Burbrink is a senior in animal sciences who has been a member of the livestock and dairy judging teams during her time at Purdue.
Burbrink is from Columbus, Indiana, and she grew up on a small family dairy. During this time, she was a 4-H member. She participated in multiple projects including the dairy cattle and swine projects. She and her family showed Duroc and Yorkshire pigs at the county, state and national levels. Her experiences growing up fostered her passion for animal sciences.
“Animal sciences was always the natural choice for me,” Burbrink said. “Growing up, it was my responsibility to take care of the heifers, and I really enjoyed watching them grow and develop. I have always been interested in the way that we manage animals, and I really enjoy working on ways we can be more efficient in animal agriculture.”
Burbrink mentioned Purdue was the best choice for her for several reasons.
“While in 4-H, I had the opportunity to be on the Bartholomew Livestock Judging Team, Burbrink said. “As a member of that team, I was able to visit Purdue on several occasions to compete in the Indiana State Livestock Judging Contest. I loved that Purdue was close enough to home, yet far enough I really feel like I moved away. It didn’t hurt that they are also a top ranked agricultural school!”
During Burbrink’s time at Purdue, she has accomplished many things, but her greatest accomplishment is being a member of the Purdue Livestock Judging Team and the Purdue Dairy Judging Team.
“Both have been a huge commitment, but it’s been wildly rewarding to have some success on both teams,” Burbrink said. “Of all the contests and events, I am most proud of being on the third overall team at World Dairy Expo. The dairy judging team hadn’t competed at World Dairy Expo in a few years, and it was exciting to be so successful as the underdogs.”
Josie Burbrink and the Purdue Dairy Judging Team at World Dairy Expo in Madison, Wisconsin. In addition to her experiences on the livestock and dairy judging teams, Burbrink has completed two summer internships with DeLaval.
“As an intern with DeLaval, I had the opportunity to communicate and work with dairy producers to create benchmarks on KPI,” Burbrink said. “This past summer I was then able to use this data to create an educational series that supports farmers transitioning to rotary parlors. Through my internship, I further solidified that I wanted to work in a consulting role, advising farmers.”
The two judging team experiences have also been beneficial for Burbrink.
“Being on the judging teams, I was able to travel to more than 10 different states and talk to producers from the east to the west coast and learn about all different types of agricultural enterprises,” Burbrink said. “I have talked with small dairy producers that bottle and sell their milk directly to consumers, and I have been on some of the biggest feedlots in the United States. The chance to see so many different types of operations and hear all of the stories behind them is priceless.”
Josie Burbrink with the Purdue Livestock Judging Team at the All-East Contest in Mississippi. Burbrink will graduate in May 2025, and she plans to work in the dairy industry after graduation.
“I hope to one day work in a herd management advisor role within a dairy technology company,” Burbrink said. “Purdue Animal Sciences, through the judging teams, has given me the opportunity to develop myself as a professional outside the classroom.”
Burbrink mentioned the biggest strength of the Purdue Animal Sciences Department are its classes.
“The classes are engaging and give students the opportunity to get hands-on experience with the subject material through labs,” Burbrink said.
Burbrink shared that her piece of advice for incoming students is to get involved.
“There are so many opportunities at Purdue to enhance your education outside of the classroom,” Burbrink said. “The clubs, activities and people you meet will be what really makes or breaks your college experience.”
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