At its February 2008 meeting, the Canadian Dairy Network (CDN) Board of Directors agreed to establish a new award to recognize people and/or organizations that have made a significant contribution to the dairy cattle improvement industry.  This document outlines the terms of reference for this Dairy Cattle Improvement Industry Distinction Award and includes the form to be used to nominate a candidate for consideration.  Although this award expresses appreciation and recognition on behalf of the dairy cattle improvement industry, for sake of organization and selection, it will fall under the responsibility and activities of the CDN Board of Directors.

Qualification 
Since the main purpose of this recognition is to acknowledge a person’s or an organization’s important contribution to the dairy cattle improvement industry, it would seem appropriate that any dairy producer, researcher, director or employee (past or present) of an industry organization, employee (past or present) of an industry-related organization or any industry organization itself would qualify for nomination, as long as they are considered to be associated with the Canadian dairy sector.  Rather than focusing only on lifetime or career achievements of individuals, this award would also serve to recognize a person’s or an organization’s significant achievement, success or milestone during the recent past.

Nomination
A standard nomination form (attached) shall be completed and signed by the person or organization wishing to submit a candidate for consideration.  Completed nomination forms must be sent electronically or in hardcopy to the CDN Board Chairman prior to early May of each year.  There is no payment required for submitting a nomination and unsuccessful candidates from one year will automatically be included in the list of nominations for the subsequent year.
Selection and Presentation.
The CDN Board of Directors will act as the Dairy Cattle Improvement Industry Distinction Award Selection Committee, with the exclusion of any director that may be among the list of nominations.  The Selection Committee shall meet in private at the time of the first CDN Board of Directors meeting following the nomination submission deadline.  While desirable, it is not mandatory that the award be given every year if no quality nominations are received, as judged
by the Selection Committee.  On the other hand, the Selection Committee may also decide to have multiple recipients in any given year.

The Selection Committee will consider the following criteria when evaluating each nomination and making its selection of recipient(s):


• The duration and significance of the candidate’s or organization’s contribution to the dairy cattle improvement industry as a whole, especially the positive impact at the producer level. 
• The leadership role of the candidate or organization as it relates to a specific initiative within the recent past that had a major impact on the dairy cattle improvement industry in general. 
• The extent and duration of the candidate’s lifetime or career achievements that made an important contribution to the improvement of Canadian dairy cattle and the dairy industry in general. 
• The timing associated with the candidate’s retirement and/or otherwise departure from the Canadian dairy cattle improvement industry after showing a clear example of leadership, vision and cooperation within the industry for the benefit of Canadian dairy producers and the industry in general.

Expenses associated with the preparation and presentation ceremony of the Dairy Cattle Improvement Industry Distinction Award will be the responsibility of Canadian Dairy Network.  The final recipient(s) would receive a complimentary invitation, including travel, accommodation and related expenses, to attend the annual Dairy Cattle Improvement Industry Forum and Canadian Dairy Network Annual General Meeting held in September of each year, at which time the award would be formally presented.  The award will minimally include a recognition plaque and may also include a gift to be determined at the discretion of the CDN Board of Directors.

Completed and Signed forms must be submitted no later then May 19, 2017. To view form click here