For the past 26 years, the Pioneer Dairy Club has been aiding farmers in the Platteville area. Every fall semester, the PDC participates in the Pioneer Classic Sale where members get involved with local farmers by helping them sell their cows.

This year will be the 27th consecutive year that the club has helped local farmers sell their cows. The 2009 sale will take place on Oct. 17 at the Grant County Fairgrounds. Members help local farmers by feeding, clipping and housing the animals before the sale.

Ashley Mergen, a sophomore animal science major, said that the Pioneer Classic Sale also helps raise money for the club. Fundraising enables the club to go on trips where members learn about the dairy industry.

“We’re a fun group of people looking for new members who have a passion for dairy farming,” Jillian Weier, junior agribusiness major and president of the PDC, said.

Aside from the Pioneer Classic Sale, the PDC has a lot of members who do relief milking for local farmers, Weier said. Members gain experience from these trips to local farms with the tools of the dairy industry.

The PDC also supports the UW-P campus by sponsoring the School of Agriculture, Weier said. The club also brings in prospective students who have an interest in the dairy industry.

Kelsey Fink, a sophomore pre-veterinarian major, said that the PDC is a “good résumé builder.” Fink said that members are able to gain experience on local farms and learn about new technology in the dairy industry.

The club meets every other Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. in Russell Hall room 126, with their next meeting on March 24. Anyone with an interest in dairy farming is welcome at the meeting.