Congratulations to all of the National Dairy Quality Award winners, National Mastitis Council scholars and the National Mastitis Council Award of Excellence for Mastitis Prevention and Control who were recognized during an awards luncheon on Jan. 29!
Receiving top recognition in the National Dairy Quality Awards were: Beattie Farms of Holton, Mich., Tollgate Farm of Ancramdale, N.Y., Dellar Dairy of Harrisville, Mich., Circle K Farms of West Branch, Mich., Michigan State University Dairy Field Lab in Lansing, Mich., and True Farms of Perry, N.Y. Judges select top dairy producers to receive this honor based on quality milk production indicators, such as somatic cell count, bacteria count and mastitis incidence, along with milking routine, systems of monitoring udder health, treatment protocols and strategies for overall herd health and welfare. There were nearly 200 applications submitted for judging in 2012.
The 2013 Award of Excellence for Mastitis Prevention and Control was awarded to Dr. K. Larry Smith, professor emeritus at The Ohio State University. This award, in its second year, is sponsored by Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica, Inc., and recognizes an NMC member for sustained contribution to mastitis prevention and control through research, extension or education, clinical practice or service to producers.
For the sixth consecutive year, the National Mastitis Research Foundation (NMRF) awarded travel scholarships to four outstanding graduate students to attend the NMC Annual Meeting. This year’s NMC Scholars were Peter Down, University of Nottingham; Pamela Fry, University of Missouri-Columbia; Felipe de Freitas Guimarães, São Paulo State University; and Di Liang, University of Kentucky. NMRF initiated the NMC Scholars program to support the development of mastitis research and milk quality professionals from around the world.
Source: National Mastitis Council