BERKSHIRE, VT--(AP) A 400-head Holstein dairy farm in Berkshire is Vermont's 2018 Dairy Farm of the Year.

Aires Hill Farm has earned the distinction from the University of Vermont Extension and the Vermont Dairy Industry Association in cooperation with the New England Green Pastures Program.

The farm is primarily managed by Karie Thompson Atherton, who took it over in 2014 after her father and uncle decided to retire.

Aires Hill, one of several farms nominated this year, epitomizes everything that an outstanding dairy farm should including exemplary management practices and herd performance, high-quality milk production and a strong commitment to promoting the dairy industry. The judging committee, comprised of past Vermont Dairy Farm of the Year winners, also looked at production records, conservation practices and other criteria in addition to farm visits and interviews with the top four finalists.

University of Vermont Extension’s Tony Kitsos, the awards program coordinator, says, “The judges all saw the same passion here as they themselves have for farming. They all commented that even in the face of low milk prices, Aires Hill has made a farm transition plan and has begun to put that in motion, and have made investments in the future through new technology to improve animal health and profitability.”

Atherton currently milks 195 cows twice a day in a double-ten parallel milking parlor. The average daily milk production per cow is 77 pounds with 3.5 percent butterfat, 3 percent protein.

The extension service says the farm, which is part of St. Albans Cooperative Creamery, consistently earns awards for high-quality milk and is a good steward of the land. The service says the farm instituted conservation practices before the state agriculture agency mandated them, including using buffers, blocking access of cattle to streams and developing a nutrient management plan.