National Mastitis Council (NMC) recognized the U.S. dairy industry’s “cream of the crop” for producing quality milk at its Feb. 2 National Dairy Quality Awards (NDQA) program, held in conjunction with the NMC 62nd Annual Meeting, held in Atlanta and virtually. Six dairies won a Platinum Award – Crandall Dairy Farms LLC (Brad, Mark and Larry Crandall), Battle Creek, Mich.; Dolph Dairy LLC (Don, Pat, Chet and Patty Dolph), Lake Mills, Wis.; Endres Berryridge Farms LLC (Jeff, Steve and Randy Endres), Waunakee, Wis.; Lamb Farms Inc. (Oakfield Corners Dairy), (Gordon, Jonathon and Matthew Lamb, and James Veazey), Oakfield, N.Y.; RKB Dairy (Randy and Kathy Bauer), Faribault, Minn.; and Rudgers Registered Jerseys (Lyman Rudgers), Attica, N.Y.
In addition to the six Platinum winners, there were 19 Gold and 19 Silver NDQA winners (listed below). These farms were selected from 66 applications submitted for the 2022 awards. Farms were nominated by professionals, such as dairy plant field staff, veterinarians, extension specialists and Dairy Herd Improvement supervisors, who serve the dairy industry.
Gold
Breezyhill Dairy LLC (Roger Almeter), Strykersvillexx, N.Y.
De Grins Oer Dairy (Tjerk and Ramona Okkema), Blanchard, Mich.
Dick Haven Farm (Gordon, Dale and Mark Dick), Mc Bain, Mich.
Dorner Farms (Cory and Maria Dorner), Luxemburg, Wis.
Fessenden Dairy (Tim Fessenden), King Ferry, N.Y.
Gross Farms Inc. (Steve, Phil and Kevin Gross), Weidman, Mich.
Jauquet’s Hillview Dairy (Dave and Stacy Jauquet), Luxemburg, Wis.
Kiko Farms (James, Louanne, Evan and Harrison Kiko), Paris, Ohio
Lamb Farms Inc. (Farm 1) (Gordon, Jonathon and Matthew Lamb, and James Veazey), Oakfield, N.Y.
Maly Farms (Butch and Ron Maly, and Alicia Sippl), Bryant, Wis.
Michigan State University Dairy, Lansing, Mich.
Mil-View Jerseys (Mark and Sara Miller), Millersburg, Ohio
Naatz Dairy Cows (Willie, Karen and Family), Mantorville, Minn.
Nederend Dairy (Hans Nederend), Homedale, Idaho
Stuart Farms Inc. (Jim Stuart), Lowell, Mich.
Tollgate Holsteins (Jim and Karen Davenport), Ancramdale, N.Y.
Valley Acres Dairy LLC Farm 2 (Gene and Phyllis Speltz, Carey and Emily Tweten), Lewiston, Minn.
Willow Bend Farm LLC Bonna Terra (John Mueller), Bloomfield, N.Y.
Wolf Creek Dairy (Paul and Barb Liebenstein), Dundas, Minn.
Silver
Benthem Brothers Inc. (Doug, Bruce, Jason, Ryan, and Kyle Benthem), McBain, Mich.
Bode Valley Farm Inc. (Charles Bode), Marion, Mich.
Bosscher Dairy (Michael Bosscher), McBain, Mich.
Brecht Farms (Louis and Ronald Brecht), Shepherd, Mich.
Fischer-Clark Dairy Farm Inc. (Mike and Sue Clark, Jon and Heidi Fischer), Hatley, Wis.
Garlomar Farms Inc. (Gary Zuiderveen and Chris Martz), Falmouth, Mich.
Hammond Dairy Farm LLC (Norm, Kim and Derrick Hammond), Dowling, Mich.
J & A Farm (Johannes Arts), Scott, Ohio
Koppenol Dairy Farms, Inc. (Alan and Deborah Koppenol, and Ken Raterink), Coopersville, Mich.
McGuire Holsteins and Jerseys (Molly and Kyle McGuire), West Liberty, Ohio
M & H Family Farms LLC (Barry Gillhespy), Wayland, Mich.
Maple Leaf Acres Inc. (Loren Hanson), Elk Mound, Wis.
Leroy and Rose Meyer Farm (Leroy and Rose Meyer), Fort Loramie, Ohio
F W Rahn and Sons (Travis Rahn), Eden, Wisconsin
Tony Rosebrugh Farm (Tony and Rebecca Rosebrugh), West Branch, Mich.
Mark and Susan Rushton Farm (Mark, Susan, Sam and Keltsey Rushton), Grafton, Vt.
Tacoma Dairy Inc. (Dave and Rick Tacoma), Falmouth, Mich.
Taylor Creek Farm LLC (James Kronemeyer), Pickford, Mich.
Williams Family Farm (John, Brent and Shane Williams), Spring Arbor, Mich.
NDQA judges considered many criteria when reviewing finalists’ applications. In addition to milk quality indicators, such as somatic cell count (SCC) and standard plate count (SPC), judges looked at specific details about each operation, including milking routine, cow comfort, udder health monitoring programs, prevention and treatment programs, strategies for overall herd health and welfare, and adherence to drug use and record keeping regulations.
This year’s NDQA sponsors included Boehringer Ingelheim, GEA, Ecolab, Conewango, Cargill, PortaCheck, Hoard’s Dairyman and NMC. This summer, nominee information for the 2023 NDQA program will be available on the NMC website (www.nmconline.org) and in Hoard’s Dairyman magazine.
National Mastitis Council is an international professional organization, based in Minnesota, devoted to reducing mastitis and enhancing milk quality. NMC promotes research and provides information to the dairy industry on udder health, milking management, milk quality and milk safety. Founded in 1961, NMC has about 1,000 members in more than 40 countries throughout the world.
