Not long ago, the popularity of UW-Madison's dairy science program was in such decline Stephen Babcock himself may have been rolling in his grave.

Enrollment in the nation's oldest dairy school, which Babcock founded in 1890 (UW-Madison ice cream among other things still bears his name), was rapidly shrinking. In 2004, only eight students enrolled in the program, down from freshman classes of 40 students or more in the program's heydays in the 1980s.

The drop in student interest was worrisome to faculty and staff.

"That was disturbing," said Professor Ric Grummer, department chairman. "We felt producing eight graduates a year was simply not going to

really allow our department to fill its mission, and that is to create future dairy leaders."

With a renewed recruiting effort and an early admissions program, faculty and staff in the department have turned the flagging numbers around. Last fall, 29 students entered the program. But how did the decline happen in America's Dairyland?

Reflect dairy industry

California surpassed Wisconsin in milk production years ago and is nipping at the heels of our cheddar title. The enrollment woes are somewhat of a sign of the health of the dairy industry in Wisconsin, Grummer said.

"One of the major factors is the number of dairy farms in Wisconsin had been declining over the years," Grummer said. "From a demographic standpoint, there was a smaller pool of students that would be likely to continue on" in dairy farming.

Most of the students who enroll in the dairy science program either grow up on dairy farms or have worked on one, Grummer said. Stagnant milk prices, high production costs and a hard life caused some parents to dissuade their children from following the career, he said.

Phil Monson, a junior from Brodhead, said he was eager to leave his parents' dairy farm and enrolled at UW-Parkside with the goal to be a pharmaceutical salesman.

"I'd convinced myself I wanted to get away from it," he said.

Tough standards

But a troubled dairy industry wasn't the only problem.

Other schools with dairy or animal sciences programs didn't have the same enrollment crisis. Students, instead, were enrolling at UW-River Falls, UW-Parkside, the University of Minnesota and even Cornell University, where more scholarships are available and the admissions process clearer.

"One of the things is admission standards (at UW-Madison), they've been going through the roof," Grummer said. "If someone applies and doesn't get in, they've got River Falls and Platteville."

Officials found that some students would get deferred at UW-Madison but were immediately accepted at other schools, making it tempting for those students to solidify plans with another school rather than wait and see with Madison.

For instance, Brett Barlass, from Janesville, was deferred at UW-Madison in 2002 but was accepted at Cornell. Barlass said he was ultimately accepted at Madison, but not without some hassle, and decided the Ivy League school would be a better fit.

Program rallies

With instructor Ted Halbach at the helm of recruitment, the program has rallied from the lows of a few years ago. As of Feb. 1, 41 students had been admitted for the fall of 2008. The goal is to reach an enrollment of 100 students in the program, a number that now seems within reach.

"This isn't quite like selling Volvos," Halbach said. "I really believe that the education students receive here is second to none."

The program prepares students in one of four tracks: international agriculture, production systems (family farming), business and natural sciences (preparation for veterinary or medical school). Halbach said he's had to work against the perception that the major offered limited career choices.

Among the tactics, the school pumped money into marketing to jazz up the program's image, and into scholarships, increasing the money available by $40,000.

Students interested in dairy science also get star treatment during a recruitment day on campus, including lunch in a suite at the Kohl Center and a trip to Bucky's Locker Room at Camp Randall.

Another major change in strategy is an early admissions program, this year in its first full year. Because many students who were deferred at UW-Madison were eventually accepted, the idea is to admit qualified students immediately, before they choose another school.

"Our objective was not to change admission standards," Grummer said. "It was to look at a crystal ball and say, based on historic standards, if student will likely get admitted in late March, we might as well as admit them now."

Students who want a better chance of getting into UW-Madison won't have much luck applying as a dairy science major.

"It's very easy to tell right away whether someone is sincerely interested in dairy science," Grummer said.

Monson, the junior who wasn't initially interested in dairy farming, said Halbach wooed him to UW-Madison after two years at UW-Parkside and now he's excited to bring what he's learning in class back to the family farm of 1,500 cows.

"Everytime I go back, I teach my dad new things," he said.