The Dairy Cattle Reproduction Council (DCRC) presented Excellence in Dairy Cattle Reproduction Awards to 24 dairy operations during its annual meeting, held Nov. 9-11, in Kansas City, Mo. These dairies excel at reproductive efficiency, fertility and well-implemented management procedures. Platinum recognition went to: Emerald Spring Dairy (Darrin Young), Plainview, Minn.; Kliebenstien Farms (Nate and Morgan Kliebenstien), Darlington, Wis.; Scholze Dairy (Theo Scholze), Humbird, Wis.; Red Top Jerseys (Chris Terra), Chowchilla, Calif.; Wessel Farms LLC (David Wessel), Mineral Point, Wis.; and Latham Dairy (John Latham, owner, and Mark Winters, manager), Boscobel, Wis.
In addition to the six Platinum winners, there were six Gold, six Silver and six Bronze winners (listed below). Ninety-eight nominations came from six countries, 10 U.S. states and two Canadian provinces. Farms were nominated by dairy professionals who serve the industry, such as veterinarians, extension specialists and artificial insemination and pharmaceutical company representatives.
Gold
Williams Bedrock Bovines (Jeff Williams), Brodhead, Wis.
Brooklyn Rollin Green Dairy (Jim, Jeff and Jamie McNeely), Brooklyn, Wis.
Holmesville Dairy (Travis Holmes), Argyle Wis.
Britannia Dairy (Ben and Kevin Pearson), Flandreau, S.D.
High Noon Dairy (Peter Bouma), Hereford, Texas
Boernview Farms Ltd. (Roger Boersen), Gadshill, Ont., Canada
Silver
Hammink Dairy (Wim Hammink), Bruce, S.D.
Claytop Holsteins (Jeff Paulen), Howard City, Mich.
Sunrise Dairy (Dan Hischke), Suring, Wis.
Verhoef Dairy Farm Inc. (Reinoud and Klaartje Verhoef), Belmont, Ont., Canada
Blue Star Dairy Farms (Brian and Craig Meinholz), DeForest, Wis.
Nosbush Dairy (Brad Nosbush), Fairfax, Minn.
Bronze
Faywillow Farms (Al Ruf and Tim Douglas), Darlington, Wis.
Night Hawk Dairy LLC (Chris Leick), Stratford, Wis.
Davis Family Farms LLC (Jayme and Brad Davis), Darlington, Wis.
Baudhuin’s Grandview Dairy LLC (Karen Baudhuin), Casco, Wis.
Trailside Holsteins (Mike Johnson), Fountain, Minn.
Scheps Dairy (Ken and Dan Scheps), Almena, Wis.
This awards program, sponsored by Hoard’s Dairyman magazine and Dairy Cattle Reproduction Council, recognizes dairy producers whose herds excel in getting cows safe in calf. DCRC’s Excellence in Dairy Cattle Reproduction judges considered many criteria when reviewing finalists’ applications, including pregnancy rate, voluntary waiting period, interbreeding intervals, heat detection, conception rate, value of reproduction and culling rate.
The Dairy Cattle Reproduction Council is focused on bringing together all sectors of the dairy industry – producers, consultants, academia and allied industry professionals – for improved reproductive performance. DCRC provides an unprecedented opportunity for all groups to work together to take dairy cattle reproduction to the next level.
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