New Prague, Minn.  – The Dairy Cattle Reproduction Council (DCRC) gave Excellence in Dairy Cattle Reproduction Awards to 24 dairy operations during its annual meeting, held Nov. 15-17, in Middleton, Wis. These dairies excel at reproductive efficiency, fertility and well-implemented management procedures. Platinum recognition went to: Davis Family Farm (Jayme and Brad Davis), Darlington, Wis.; Emerald Spring Dairy (Darrin Young), Plainview, Minn.; Felling Dairy LLC (Jason Felling), Sauk Centre, Minn.; Fetzer Farms (Fetzer Family), Elmwood, Wis.; High Noon Dairy LLC (Peter Bouma), Hereford, Texas; and Riddell Farms (Travis Riddell), Atwood, Ont., Canada.

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 four countries, 11 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

Boernview Farms Ltd. (Roger Boersen), Gadshill, Ont., Canada

Britannia Dairy (Ben and Kevin Pearson), Flandreau, S.D.

Kieler Farms Inc. (Daniel Kieler), Platteville, Wis.

Maier Farms LLC (Maier Family – Pat Maier), Waunakee, Wis.

Maly Farms (Butch, Kelly and Ron Maly, and Alicia Sippl), Bryant, Wis.

Mercer-Vu Farms (Rod and Rick Hissong), Mercersburg, Pa.

Silver

Belldale Farms LLC (Mike and Eric Colopy), Danville, Ohio

Blue Star Dairy Farms (Brian and Craig Meinholz), DeForest, Wis.

Full Flo Dairy (Mark Rauls), De Forest, Wis.

Ryzebol Dairy (Brant Ryzebol), Mantorville, Minn.

Trailside Holsteins (Mike Johnson), Fountain, Minn.

Vale Wood Dairy (Zane Itle), Loretto, Pa.

Bronze

Burk Lea Farms (Clint Burkholder), Chambersburg, Pa.

Crosswind Jerseys (Stefan Temperli), Elkton, S.D.

Holmesville Dairy (Travis and Stephanie Holmes), Argyle Wis.

Riverside Dairy (Andy Fischer), Reedsville, Wis.

Ruedinger Farms (John Ruedinger and Dave Zappa), Van Dyne, Wis.

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.