A JDS Communications® symposium review shows that student engagement, mental health support, and effective teaching methods can help reverse a looming labor shortage in dairy
Philadelphia, March 13, 2025 – The dairy sector is a pillar of the global economy, and, in the United States alone, it generates billions of dollars in revenue, supports millions of jobs, and helps feed a growing international population. But, like many industries, it faces a looming labor shortage due in part to declining enrollment in dairy science university programs. To ensure its continued success, the industry will need to cultivate the next generation of leaders, including attracting and retaining talented students in dairy science programs. A new symposium review in JDS Communications explains how universities play a critical role in guiding the future leaders of the dairy industry into successful and fulfilling careers, and highlights achievable strategies to improve the engagement of dairy science undergraduate students.
The article’s author, Grace Lewis, PhD, of the University of Wisconsin-River Falls (River Falls, WI)—who was also the focus of a recent author spotlight—underscored the stakes, “Universities across the country are witnessing concerning trends: declining enrollment in higher education programs, along with student withdrawals once enrolled—two trends that are even more pronounced with female students—while, simultaneously, 64% of dairy company chief executives [are] listing labor shortages as a primary concern.” These labor shortages result in reduced hours of operation, higher farm wages, increased dairy product costs, and reliance on foreign production. Considering this, her review set out to understand the underlying reasons for these declines and which strategies appear to be effective at boosting student recruitment, retention, and persistence within dairy science.
The first step is understanding the primary reason enrolled students consider dropping out from higher education programs: mental health. Lewis explained, “According to the data, 37% of American college students experience symptoms of anxiety and 44% wrestle with feelings of depression, a trend we’ve seen expedited following the COVID pandemic.” Mental health concerns are especially high with female students—even more so for those in traditionally male-centered science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines—who are more likely to report anxiety, trauma, symptoms of depression, self-harming, and other concerning mental health issues.
Addressing mental and emotional support for these students is a starting point for all programs. “We cannot expect to reverse enrollment declines until we address this primary need,” outlined Lewis. Her review included some helpful data showing that universities can prioritize mental health and well-being for their students by providing more mental health education for their faculty and making their existing mental health support, policies, and local laws more accessible to students and faculty alike. Faculty training on identifying and responding to mental health concerns will help foster an overall culture of support and help stop the primary driver of student loss.
In addition to removing the barriers to the classroom, the review also examines how to keep students engaged and excited about dairy science coursework. “The data show that the success of an academic class is reliant on the instructor, yet many professors are (understandably) hired for their technical and scientific expertise versus their skills in teaching,” said Lewis. Heightening the focus on pedagogical skills and providing faculty with opportunities to develop them will be crucial in producing the next generation of dairy leaders.
What skills are the most important? One is simply the level of enthusiasm the instructor brings to class, which has been shown to increase the likelihood of students persisting through their degrees and into a degree-related career. A focus on active learning approaches, such as flipped classrooms (where students watch online lectures on their own time to prepare for activities during class), case studies, and team-based learning, are also methods that can further enhance the learning experience for students and keep them engaged in their studies.
Caption: A new symposium review in JDS Communications outlines why dairy science undergraduate programs have declining enrollments and retention, and which strategies appear to be effective at reversing these trends (Credit: iStock.com/ evrim ertik)
In addition to teaching approaches, the review outlines specific academic experiences that have been shown to boost student learning in dairy science fields, including animal handling courses, capstone courses, internships, and undergraduate research. “These examples are all high-impact practices that provide students with valuable real-world experiences and help solidify their career aspirations in agriculture,” says Lewis. She includes a helpful list of high-impact dairy science–related experiences for instructors to recommend to their students, including:
- North American Intercollegiate Dairy Challenge,
- National Collegiate Dairy Judging Contest,
- Collegiate Dairy Products Evaluation Contest,
- Dairy Management Inc. New Dairy Product Competition,
- Animal Welfare Assessment Contest, and
- International and national conferences (e.g., American Dairy Science Association Annual Meeting, World Dairy Expo), which also incorporate undergraduate-specific activities and events, providing additional engagement opportunities for students.
Even with the incorporation of real-world experiences into coursework, students may need additional guidance to find a career path that fits. Lewis explains that universities should guide students through the process of career exploration. Workshops, career fairs, and mentorship programs can all help students identify their strengths and interests and connect them with relevant career opportunities.
Lewis was careful to emphasize the need for more research on new ways dairy science can be taught to students. “We need to continue to work toward innovative teaching styles and high-impact practices that could better influence career commitment within the dairy industry,” she says. But, with a focus on student engagement, mental health support, and effective teaching methods, universities can today start to cultivate a new generation of passionate dairy science leaders, especially with the increasing number of women in the field, who will drive the industry forward.
Notes for editors
The article is "Engaging today's undergraduate students in the field of dairy science with a focus on the female student population,” by Grace Lewis (https://doi.org/10.3168/jdsc.2024-0647). It appears in JDS Communications, volume 6, issue 1 (January/February 2025), published by ADSA and Elsevier.
The article is openly available at https://www.jdscommun.org/article/S2666-9102(24)00148-0/fulltext, and the PDF version is available at https://www.jdscommun.org/action/showPdf?pii=S2666-9102%2824%2900148-0.
Journalists wishing to interview the author should contact Grace Lewis, PhD, of the Department of Animal and Food Science, University of Wisconsin–River Falls, River Falls, WI, at grace.lewis@uwrf.edu.
About JDS Communications
JDS Communications®, an official journal of the American Dairy Science Association®, is co-published by Elsevier and ADSA. The journal publishes narrowly focused, hypothesis-driven original research studies designed to answer a specific question on the production or processing of milk or milk products intended for human consumption. In addition to short research articles, JDS Communications publishes mini reviews—unsolicited, concise review papers. Research published in this journal is broadly divided into the production of milk from food animals (nutrition, physiology, health, genetics, and management) and processing of milk for human consumption (dairy foods). JDS Communications aims for rapid turnaround and a short time to publication. www.jdscommun.org
About the American Dairy Science Association (ADSA®)
The American Dairy Science Association (ADSA) is an international organization of educators, scientists, and industry representatives who are committed to advancing the dairy industry and keenly aware of the vital role the dairy sciences play in fulfilling the economic, nutritive, and health requirements of the world’s population. It provides leadership in scientific and technical support to sustain and grow the global dairy industry through generation, dissemination, and exchange of information and services. Together, ADSA members have discovered new methods and technologies that have revolutionized the dairy industry.www.adsa.org
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