Department of Animal Science

The Michigan State University Department of Animal Science is seeking nominations for the 2023 Dairy Farm of the Year Award.

Since 1958, the Dairy Farm of the Year Award has been given to a farmer, farm partners or family that has distinguished themselves through excellence in dairy farming and outstanding involvement in the industry or their community.

The selection committee from MSU Animal Science seek certain selection criteria for the award:

• Nominees must be actively engaged in dairy farming. Where a partnership or corporations exist, two or more individuals may be honored as joint recipients.  
• The nominees should be outstanding managers of a dairy farm operation. Their operation should have statistical averages that are above those of Michigan state averages and be considered by others in the dairy industry as being an elite dairy operation.
• The nominees should have demonstrated leadership in dairy industry-related or community organizations.

Information about the award, a list of past recipients and the nomination form can be accessed online. Even if not all information requested on the form is available, nominations are still welcome.

Nominations are due to Miriam Weber Nielsen, msw@msu.edu, chair of the selection committee, by Oct. 15.

The selected farm will be announced prior to the 2023 Great Lakes Regional Dairy Conference and honored at the Michigan Dairy Industry Banquet as a part of the conference.

A portrait of the honoree will be added to the display wall at the MSU Livestock Pavilion, and notice of the award will be provided to the local newspaper of the recipient and to their legislators.