MJC Dairy Science Group

Wrapping up a busy October!

The judging team competed in the Practical Contest at the World Dairy Expo and brought home 2nd place honors behind Iowa State University. Jacob Ahlem was 1st High Individual Overall and Riley Whisler was 6th.

Mykel Mull and Matthew Pacheco were recipients of the Iager - National Dairy Shrine scholarships for two year college students.

And lastly, the dairy department hosted the youth dairy judging contest at the Western Dairy Showcase.

The MJC Dairy Club & Young Farmers are proud to wrap up our September Hunger Action Month Milk Drive with a total of 360 GALLONS OF MILK DONATED to support our local community!

Thanks to the generosity and support of our community, these donations were delivered to local organizations helping fight hunger and provide nourishment to those in need.

110 gallons — MJC Pirates Pantry
75 gallons — Modesto Love Center
125 gallons — Modesto Gospel Mission
50 gallons — The Salvation Army

Every gallon makes a difference, and we’re grateful to everyone who helped make this milk drive a success! Together, we’re nourishing our community, supporting our neighbors, and taking action against hunger.

A huge thank-you to REAL CALIFORNIA MILK for hosting the annual Intercollegiate Give A Gallon Challenge.

Modesto Junior College remains the most victorious school in the World Dairy Expo Post-Secondary Dairy Judging contest with 11 national titles since its inception in 1985. Defeating State University of New York - Cobleskill by 38 points.

Coached by Nicole Morris, team members include Jacob Ahlem (Hilmar), Daniel Diniz (Hilmar), Joshuah Michelena (Ceres), Breanna Souza (Hilmar) and Riley Whisler (Carmel).

The team took 1st team honors in Reasons, Brown Swiss breed, Holstein breed, Milking Shorthorn breed and Red & White Holstein breed. All 5 team members were in the top 10 individuals for reasons, making it an extremely proud coaching moment.

Daniel Diniz
• 1st High Individual Overall, Holstein breed, Milking Shorthorn breed and Placings
• 8th High Individual Reasons

Jacob Ahlem
• 1st High Individual Reasons and Brown Swiss breed
• 3rd High Individual Overall

Riley Whisler
• 7th High Individual Overall
• 10th High Individual Reasons

Breanna Souza
• 10th High Individual Overall
• 2nd High Individual Reasons
• 1st High Individual Red & White Holstein Breed

Joshuah Michelena
•9th High Individual Reasons

📸: Cowsmopolitan, LLC

Thank you Hilmar FFA for sending us high quality students.

Very proud of this team for bringing home top honors from World Dairy Expo.

The California team captured major wins all around. Modesto Junior College captured the overall team title at the 2026 International Post-Secondary Dairy Cattle Judging Contest. Team members also earned the top overall individual and high individual reasons honors.

All-American IYDCJC
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania

2nd High Team Overall
1st High Team Reasons, Jerseys & Holsteins

Jacob Ahlem - 3rd High Individual Overall
Daniel Diniz - 4th High Individual Overall
Breanna Souza - 9th High Individual Overall

A special thanks to Brian Engleking from Purdue University and Bonnie Ayars from Ohio State University for setting up practices. We got to visit with Triple T Holsteins & Jerseys and practice at Ack-Lee Holsteins and Dream On Holsteins.

Thank you Jenny & Nathan for a great visit checking out the most beautiful cows.

We had a great group stop in for a tour this morning. Thank you Modesto Junior College dairy judging team for the visit!

Meet Riley & Abigail

Riley Whisler, originally from Carmel, is a 2nd year Dairy Science major and Dairy Unit Intern pursuing her passion for agriculture. Actively involved in the school of ag including Young Farmers Club, Dairy Science Club and Dairy Judging. She also shows a small herd of registered jerseys in her free time. Her last year on West Campus, Riley looks forward to making new connections, expanding her knowledge, and making the most of this opportunity. She plans to transfer to a four-year university next fall to continue her studies to prepare her for a career within the dairy industry.

Abigail Avila is a first-year West Campus intern working on the Dairy Unit while pursuing a degree in Agricultural Communications. A Tracy, CA native, Abigail developed her passion for agriculture through FFA, dairy cattle showing, and competitive judging teams. She hopes to pursue a career combining agricultural marketing or news broadcasting and is excited to expand her knowledge of the dairy industry through her time on the internship.

From MJC to the next level!

We’re proud to see Jack Van Warmerdam (Galt, CA) and Jada Systma (Lynden, WA) continuing their dairy education beyond Modesto!

After completing their MJC Dairy Science AS degrees in May 2026, Jack and Jada headed to Clovis, New Mexico, for the six-week U.S. Dairy Education & Training Consortium (USDETC). They are the first MJC students to apply and attend this national program.

USDETC provides an intensive, hands-on experience in large-herd dairy management, combining classroom instruction, dairy visits, laboratory work and industry interaction. Students dive into everything from herd health, reproduction and nutrition to genetics, calf and heifer management, milk quality and dairy HR.

We couldn’t be more proud of these two MJC graduates for investing in themselves and their futures in the dairy industry.

Keep learning. Keep growing. Keep leading.🐄💙

Western Spring National Dairy Judging Contest
Richmond, Utah

🏆 1st High Team Overall

🏆 1st High Individual: Daniel Diniz

Also enjoyed having dinner and spending time with the Purdue Dairy Judging Team.