Greetings from the SDSU Dairy and Food Science Department! The fall semester has started, bringing so much energy and excitement to our department. We are so fortunate to have many wonderful students in our department, and we appreciate your help with sharing information about our programs with any prospective students that you may know. Please also feel free to let us know if you would like us to follow up with any prospective students.
We are pleased to share with you many exciting things that have been and will be
happening in our department in this our fourth edition of our quarterly newsletter. Feel free to forward this newsletter to anyone you think might be interested. Due to all the great information we have to share about our department, we will now be sending out this newsletter every two months.
We greatly appreciate the support of our donors and partners and welcome your continued support. Donations can be made here: (Donation · South Dakota State University Foundation · GiveCampus). Please contact myself or Mark Sandager of the SDSU Foundation if you have questions about supporting our department or myself if you would like to visit about our department.
We would like to invite everyone to join us for tailgating on September 27th from 9am-1:30pm for the Dairy Drive football game. We have partnered up with multiple companies in the dairy industry to put together a chance to win the cooler below filled with merchandise from the participating companies. To win this cooler we will have a "passport" to take between tailgating spots of Dairy and Food Science, Valley Queen, AMPI, Prairie Farms, and Bel Brands. Once a punch has been received from each of these companies you will be entered into a drawing for the cooler. The Dairy and Food Science tailgating spot will be by the Alfred Dairy Science Hall. We will be serving ice cream and providing Dairy Plant tours. All other companies will be tailgating north of the Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium. We will also have a dairy calf on campus in that area.
Dairy Foods Research at SDSU: Opportunities Galore Webinar
September 30 @ 1pm
The SDSU Davis Dairy Plant pilot plant capabilities will be featured in a free webinar on September 30 from 1-1:45PM CST. Everyone is welcome to join the webinar that will be presented by Dr. Prafulla Salunke. No registration is required. A recording of the session will also be available.
Dr. Srinivas Janaswamy, associate professor, recently had an article published about his studies on how grapevine canes can be converted into plastic-like material that is stronger than traditional plastic and how it can decompose in the environment in a relatively short amount of time. There was also a short podcast made explaining this article.
Our very own David A. Thompson Endowed Department Head, Dr. Londa Nwadike, was quoted in a New York Times article that was published about food expiration dates. Read the full article in the link below.
We invite you to take part in a consumer survey being conducted by SDSU, as a part of research funded by the North Central Region Sustainable Agriculture Research & Education - Partnership Grant Project NCR-SARE # ONC25-170. The purpose of this survey is to better understand the types of dairy products that local consumers are interested in such as cheese, ice cream, butter and other value-added products. The survey takes only 5-7 minutes and responses will remain anonymous. As a thank you for participating, you’ll also have the opportunity at the end of the survey to enter a drawing to win a coupon for free SDSU Ice Cream!
Earn Rewards While Helping Build a Sustainable Future!
We’re inviting dairy producers from South Dakota, Iowa, and Minnesota to take part in a unique research project that connects farm profitability with the milk carbon footprint. By participating, you’ll not only help shape a more sustainable industry but also gain practical benefits for your farm.
What’s in it for you?
A digital refractometer (valued over $600 and 5 testing properties)
A $100 gift card
Results from TMR, Manure, Milk, Soil testing (if needed)
Invitation to a producer workshop at the end of the project
Access to an online tool to evaluate your farm’s economic and environmental sustainability
What we ask:
Complete a confidential survey (Summer–Fall 2025)
Share basic, confidential farm information (herd structure, feed, manure, crops and financial overview)
Allow collection of a few milk, feed and manure samples (3 days)
Availability: There is room for 30 producers to participate in this project. Please contact Maristela directly, and she will share the survey and will personally assist you in completing it.
Why participate? Your insights will directly help us identify ways to improve profitability and sustainability on dairy farms in our region — ensuring a stronger future for your farm and the industry as a whole.
~A word from Cheyenne Edmundson, Coordinator Recruitment and Academic Services
Our recruitment goals each year include 10 students in each of our academic programs, dairy production, dairy manufacturing, and food science. We have a unique opportunity to lean into our pre-veterinary sciences program and support students in standing out with a dairy production degree. Our first departmental ambassadorship started this falls semester consisting of 8 undergraduates intended to support our efforts in reaching more prospective students! We encourage alumni and industry partners to share your SDSU stories at career fairs and and refer prospective students' names with Cheyenne so she can send a follow up call, handwritten card and email.
Upcoming Events and Opportunities in Recruitment
World Dairy Expo - We are in the Wisconsin FFA passport book during WI FFA Day.
MN IFT - Dr. Hall will be supporting us with a booth at this fall conference
We anticipate 100 high school culinary students from Sioux Falls visiting campus to learn about food science & dairy manufacturing.
We are hosting high school instructors teaching FACs and Ag for a hands-on learning workshop with our dairy manufacturing, food science, meat science, nutrition, and tourism faculty at SDSU with the intent of replicating activities/experiments taught in their own classrooms.
Attending National FCCLA conference in summer 2026 - Tied to Family & Consumer Science programs at HS, this will hit a greater scope of students beyond who we connect with at National FFA Convention this fall.
CheeseCon in April 2026 to promote our program to industry professionals with connections to prospective students.
2025 Burger Bash
On August 31st, the College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences held its first Burger Bash. Every department in the college made their own specialty burger to get judged by faculty and staff in a competition. Our department made a vegetarian option, a cheesy potato burger, and won first place!
Meet Our Jacks
Meet our very own Raul Berrones Pedraza, a dairy manufacturing student from Milbank, SD, gaining hands-on experience this summer through an internship with Valley Queen — right in his hometown. Along with the internship, Raul also receives a scholarship from Valley Queen, helping support his educational journey. See how Raul is turning classroom learning into real-world skills.
2025 Tom Imbordino Memorial Dairy Science Scholarship Recipient
Congratulations to Vaishali Poswal, the recipient of the 2025 Tom Imbordino Memoraial Dairy Science Scholarship. This scholarship represents not only recognition of her achievements, but also an investment in the future of the dairy industry. We are confident that she will continue to excel in her studies and make meaningful contributions to the dairy and food science fields.
Dairy Management Inc. Product Development Competition
Congratulations to our DMI product development team for finishing in second place in the nation with their product BalanceBloom Delight winning the Gold Dairy Innovator Award ($7,000). The final phase of the competition took place at the ADSA meeting in Kentucky, June 22-25. They had worked hard on this product since October of last year. This year, the competition specifically focused on these three criteria, encouraging students to develop innovative dairy-based products that address heart health, metabolic health, and weight management needs. The product must contain >51% dairy ingredients by weight of the finished product and must be a good source of dairy protein.
BalanceBloom Delight: A wholesome dairy-based pudding naturally flavored with strawberry and cinnamon peach.
L-R: Caitlin Swanson, Zeel Modi, Sadie Streff, Dr. Prafulla Salunke
ADSA Quiz Bowl
SDSU’s Dairy Quiz Bowl Team took second place at the annual American Dairy Science Association meeting in Kentucky in June. The four-member team played a total of five rounds starting with a bye round, beating Virginia Tech once and Purdue twice, and finally placing second to Penn State. Read the full article below.
A unique opportunity has been given to 14 undergraduate students, including 2 in our department by the South Dakota State University College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences. The students were awarded grants that will allow them to conduct a research project under the mentorship of a college faculty member, including 3 in our Department. Read more in the article below.
The department hosted their annual Picnic in the Park for the faculty, staff and students. The picnic was held in Hillcrest Park on September 8.
For more student updates, visit our Open Prairie news archives for access to the newsletters sent out to students weekly during the school year. These newsletters contain student accomplishments, upcoming events, job opportunities and more.
2025 Eminent Leader in Agriculture, Family and Community
Greg Moes, Goodwin, SD, was honored for his contributions to South Dakota during the 2025 Eminent Leaders in Agriculture, Family and Community recognition banquet held at McCrory Gardens Education and Visitor Center on the campus of SDSU on Sept. 19.
Moes was honored alongside Wallace Knock, Willow Lake; Reid Christopherson, Garretson, and Jeff Lakner, Wessington. Honorees are selected by representatives of the SDSU colleges of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences and Education and Human Sciences. Read more about Greg Moes in the article below.
We encourage sharing this newsletter with classmates and colleagues with ties to our department. Subscribe and stay in the loop on our up coming events, opportunities, and updates!
