Over 1,380 dairy operations and 502,035 cows were evaluated in ranking herds and cows for Milk Production, Dollar Value and Somatic Cell Count in the NorthStar Cooperative Dairy Herd Information Services Annual Performance Summary. Dairy producers throughout Michigan, Indiana, Ohio and Wisconsin topped lists in this comprehensive report, which summarizes records for the 2017 testing year.
Gross Farms of Weidman, Mich. earned the 2017 NorthStar Cooperative DHI Services Progressive Dairy Producer of the Year award, which is presented to the herd with the greatest dollar value increase over the past five years.
The 140-cow registered Holstein dairy increased dollar value by $1,131 and today has a Rolling Herd Average of 35,194 pounds of milk, 1,205 pounds of fat and 1,040 pounds of protein on three-times-a-day milking.
Nor-Bert Farms of Bremen, Ind. was the leading farm on the Top 250 Dollar Value Herds Report for the third consecutive year. The 33-cow Brown Swiss herd had a dollar value of $6,044 with a RHA of 30,258M, 1,526F and 1,101P on 3X milking. Tag Lane Farm's 1,271-cow Holstein herd of Ixonia, Wis. ranked second on the report with a dollar value of $5,628 and a RHA of 33,811M, 1,36 F and 1,097P on 3X milking.
Topping the High Dollar Value Jersey Herd Average report was United Pride Dairy LLC's 36-cow herd of Phillips, Wis. with a RHA of 23,024M, 1,164F, 880P and a dollar value of $4,690 on 3X milking. Larry Haywood's 70-cow herd of Hastings, Mich. ranked highest on the Mixed Breed report with a dollar value of $4,972 and a RHA of 32,475M, 1,155F and 1,029P on 3X milking. The Ayrshire report was led by Tim Busch's 51-cow herd of Cecil, Wis. with a RHA of 20,303M, 804F, 647P and a dollar value of $3,322.
For the seventh year in a row, Verl Weaver's herd of 34 cows in Goshen, Ind. topped the Guernsey report with a dollar value of $4,108 and a RHA of 20,291M, 1,081F and 693P. Bill Seyller's 48-cow herd of Fond Du Lac, Wis. led the Red and White report with a RHA of 24,932M, 872F, 750P and a dollar value of $3,701.
Gordon Dick of McBain, Mich. owns the top animal on the Holstein Lifetime Cows for Milk Production report with an 11th lactation 7HO3707 MATHIE daughter with lifetime credentials of 398,893M, 16,501F and 11,256P. Other breed leaders on this report included Brent Moyer of Caro, Mich. with the top Jersey, a Dunkirk daughter in her seventh lactation with 256,22M, 6,379F and 5,474P. Landstad Dairy LCC of Bonduel, Wis. owns the top Ayrshire, a ninth lactation Poker daughter with lifetime credentials of 235,815M, 7,665F and 6,635P.
The seventh lactation Altapronto Brown Swiss daughter from Lewis Century Stock Farms Inc. of LaGrange topped the Brown Swiss report with 279,000M, 10,311F and 9,165P. Topping the Red and White report was Arden and Nicholas Eadie of Conklin, Mich. with an eighth lactation Redwood RC daughter with 323,244M, 12,000F and 9,468P.
The herd with the lowest SCC average across NorthStar's four-state service area was Glide Farms LLC of Lake City, Mich. The 249-cow Holstein herd topped the list with a SCC average of 50,000 while producing a RHA of 27,728M, 1,015F, 788P and a dollar value of $4,139 on 3X milking.