The Dairy Club is a student affiliate of the American Dairy Science Association, which sponsors national and regional competitions. The club is evaluated on many of its activities throughout the year and on two undergraduate papers on issues in the dairy industry. Members also present symposiums describing the club's activities, attend business meetings, discuss legislation, and submit their glossy annual, The Milky Way, for judging. In recent years, the Dairy Club has sold, packaged, and shipped cheese purchased from a large dairy outlet. The club also sells milk shakes and ice cream at a dairy bar at the Virginia State Fair.
Members milk some of the show cows at the fair as a service for the farmers.
An alumnus or other influential member of the dairy industry judges the animals on the basis of showmanship and appearance. The Dairy Judging Team, which is supported by the Dairy Club, consists of eight students who specialize in evaluating dairy cattle. The team competes successfully around the country, creating a reputation equal to that of the Dairy Club. Competing several times a year, the team received 15 first-place awards in the past 10 years. Much credit is given to the late professor William Etgen, for whom the new Dairy Judging Pavilion was named and who led the club to national wins on 12 occasions.