South Dakota State University Athletics
Jackrabbit Dairy Drive Wednesday
12/4/2015 9:52:00 AM | General
BROOKINGS, S.D.—The South Dakota State University women's basketball team plays in the third-annual Jackrabbit Dairy Drive when it hosts Northern Iowa Wednesday at 7 p.m.at Frost Arena.
The Jackrabbit Dairy Drive is sponsored by South Dakota dairy farmers through Midwest Dairy Association Districts and South Dakota Dairy Producers.
“We look forward to hosting this event to honor South Dakota's dairy farm families this year and into the future, and what better time to celebrate than during an SDSU basketball game,” said Roger Scheibe, the Midwest Dairy Association's director of industry outreach.
Funds raised at the Jackrabbit Dairy Drive will go toward building a new dairy production research facility at the SDSU Dairy Unit. The drive also recognizes the state's growing dairy industry.
According to research conducted at SDSU and data collected from the National Agricultural Statistics Service, the dairy industry plays a vital role in South Dakota's economy. The economic impact per dairy cow is $18,668, creating an estimated $2.364 billion overall impact for the state.
“This event will help support the region's dairy industry through research and teaching,” said Vikram Mistry, SDSU dairy science department head. “An updated dairy research and training facility is needed for providing state-of-the-art, hands-on training in dairy production. This will complement the Davis Dairy Plant that was recently built with the support of industry, alumni and producers.”
During the game, fans can participate in fundraising activities, which include a chance to throw a basketball into a center court bucket to win a Bonnie Mohr's “Once There Were No Cows” book, a cheese basket or a cheese head.
Tickets for the Jackrabbit Dairy Drive can be ordered online at JackrabbitTickets.com, over the phone at 1-866-GoJacks, or in person at the Frost Arena Ticket Office weekdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.