DelVal Students Participate in Northeast Student Affiliate of the Society of Animal and Dairy Science Intercollegiate Competition

On Saturday, February 24, Delaware Valley University (DelVal) students and three advisors traveled to the University of Massachusetts Amherst to participate in the Northeast Student Affiliate of the Society of Animal and Dairy Science (NESA) Intercollegiate Competition. NESA is an annual competition between the animal and dairy science programs of six participating schools totaling about 32 teams overall.

The event consists of three agricultural areas. It includes a quiz bowl, where students reinforce their classroom knowledge and compete to answer questions related to animal science and dairy science. It also includes six judging classes where students judged horses, swine, beef heifers, sheep, dairy cows, and a surprise class which was “honey” this year. Each team also had a representative to present on a current scientific research topic of their choosing. The presenter had eight minutes to present to a panel of three judges.

Being able to be a part of NESA allows students to develop communication skills through presentations, making connections with other students and advisors, as well as other members of NESA. Students must practice critical thinking and professional skills in every aspect of the competition – preparing NESA participants for the animal science industry, and a strong career trajectory post-graduation.

“Being able to plan this trip has been so great as it has given me great leadership, problem-solving, relationship-building, and decision-making skills that will be very beneficial for any future career,” said Raegan Braund ’25, an animal science livestock management major at DelVal.