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For more information contact mark.a.kinders@uwrf.edu or brenda.k.bredahl@uwrf.edu.

Students Receive Feed Industry Scholarships

MAY 4, 2007--University of Wisconsin-River Falls student Matt Flood now has two reasons to appreciate an organization called the Northwest Feed Manufacturer's Association, a feed industry organization based in the upper Midwest.

First, Flood was just awarded a scholarship sponsored by the industry group at the CAFES awards banquet on April 26. And, on May 1, Matt enjoyed the hospitality of the group at a meeting in Mankato, Minn., at which he shared an excellent dinner and heard an interesting presentation on organic food production by Meg Monihan of the Minnesota Department of Agriculture.

Flood, a junior from Brooklyn, Wis., who is majoring in agricultural engineering, was one of two UWRF students awarded the Northwest Feed Manufacturers Scholarship. The other UWRF scholarship winner, Jessica Trcka, a junior agricultural studies major from Montgomery, Minn., was unable to attend the event. Students from the University of Minnesota and South Dakota State University also attended the meeting and received scholarships.

Dennis Cooper, a dairy science professor in the UWRF College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences, accompanied Flood to the awards banquet.

Cooper worked in the feed industry for six years, including a two years in Mankato, before joining the faculty at UWRF.

"This was like coming home for me, in a way," said Cooper. "I renewed some old acquaintances and met some new people. I particularly enjoyed getting to know Matt a little bit. He is a very personable, sharp young man who represented us very well in Mankato."

Both Flood and Cooper were asked to say a few words to the 40 or so people attending the meeting. Cooper said UWRF was the "best-kept secret" in the Midwest and is a national leader in graduating well-prepared animal and dairy science students to enter the agriculture industry.

Flood spoke with pride about the contributions of CAFES agricultural engineering faculty and students in the development of biodiesel fuels. Flood noted that his future plans are to return to the family farm and partner with his brother as dairy producers.

Jerry Nechville, an agricultural engineering professor at UWRF, serves as Matt's academic advisor and co-chairs the CAFES Scholarship Committee, which helped select the students to receive the industry scholarships.

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