The Dairy Cattle Reproduction Council (DCRC) presented honors to 24 dairy operations that excel at reproductive efficiency, fertility and well-implemented management procedures during its annual meeting, held Nov. 13-14, in Pittsburgh. Platinum recognition went to: Britannia Dairy (Ben and Kevin Pearson), Flandreau, S.D.; Holmesville Dairy (Tim and Travis Holmes families), Argyle, Wis.; Kayhart Brothers Dairy, Steve and Tim Kayhart, Addison, Vt.; Red Top Jerseys (Chris Terra, manager), Chowchilla, Calif.; Schilling Farms (Bill, Andy and Brian Schilling families), Darlington, Wis.; and, Wenzel Hilltop Dairy (Kevin and Jessica Wenzel), Hilbert, Wis.
In addition to the six Platinum winners, there were six Gold, six Silver and six Bronze winners (listed below). More than 100 nominations came from three countries and 11 U.S. states; finalists represented eight U.S. states. Farms were nominated by dairy professionals who serve the industry, such as veterinarians, extension specialists and artificial insemination and pharmaceutical company representatives.
Gold
- Emerald Dairy (Darrin Young), Plainview, Minn.
- Maple Ridge Dairy (Ken Hein and Brian Forrest), Stratford, Wis.
- Patterson Farm Inc. (Jon and Julie Patterson), Auburn, N.Y.
- Rock River Jerseys (Brett Kirkley), Doon, Iowa
- Seidel Mountain View (Al Seidel), Luxemburg, Wis.
- Zirbel Dairy Farm (Kris Scheider), De Pere, Wis.
Silver
- Drake Dairy (Jim and Brian Drake), Elkhart Lake, Wis.
- Glacier Edge Dairy (Corey Metcalf), Milton, Wis.
- Lake Breeze Dairy (Breeze Dairy Group), Malone, Wis.
- Maly Farms (Butch and Ron Maly, Alicia Sippl), Bryant, Wis.
- McClellan Farms (Tom McClellan), Delavan, Wis.
- Voth Dairy (Brad Voth), Goodhue, Minn.
Bronze
- Arendt Dairy (Nate Arendt), Mazeppa, Minn.
- Borst Family Dairy (Matt, Larry and Kevin Borst), Rochester, Minn.
- Naatz Dairy (Willie and Karen Naatz), Mantorville, Minn.
- Rielly Dairy (Mark Rielly), Darlington, Wis.
- Wessel Farms (Dave, Joyce and Rod Wessel), Mineral Point, Wis.
- Wolters Dairy (Wolters Family), Burlington, Wash.
This awards program, sponsored by Hoard’s Dairyman magazine, recognizes dairy producers whose herds excel in getting cows safe in calf. DCRC’s Herd Reproduction Award 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.
Provided by DCRC