Meet the 2023 Milk Business Conference Award Winners

The first MILK Business Conference award winners were announced and recognized at the 2023 MILK Business Conference held at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas. Honorees include:

MILK Business Young Producer Award - Ben Smith of Cool Lawn Farm. A fourth-generation registered Holstein dairy producer in Remington, Va., Smith owns 855 acres and currently milks 915 cows with 1,100 replacements. Cool Lawn Farm has the highest herd average for milk, fat, and protein in Virginia. Smith was the Maryland & Virginia Milk Producers Cooperative Association Young Cooperator in 2022. The Young Producer Award is sponsored by Boehringer Ingelheim.

A recommendation letter from Bruce Bowman, DVM, said “Milk quality is a consumer driven issue – one that Ben and his family embrace. They have so much confidence in the quality of their product that is used in their family business the ‘Moo Thru’ in Remington, Va. I can think of no greater compliment for a farmer’s product than to use it with their own families and by extension in a family business.”

MILK Business Leader in Technology Award - Chris Szydel of Pagel’s Ponderosa Dairy. As herd manager, Szydel oversees 65 employees on two milking sites with three parlors milking 6,200 cows. The Leader in Technology Award is sponsored by Merck Animal Health.

Dr. Marty Faldet, consultant and managing partner for GPS Dairy Consulting, said in his recommendation letter “I have known and worked with Chris Szydel for more than 23 years while he grew and rose to more responsibility at Pagel’s Ponderosa Dairy. One strength in his rapid rise to managing the dairy stems from his ability to adopt new technology. He’s open to new ideas and is willing to adopt them if they make sense for the family business.”

MILK Business Employee Excellence Award - Laurenio Vitorino of Countyline Farm. As General Manager of Countyline, Vitorino oversees the day-to-day operations of the 2,100-dairy unit, including the farming operations team. Vitorino has served the dairy in many roles over his 32-year tenure, including the dairy’s conversion to robotic milking.

Vance Ahlem, owner of Countyline Farm said in his nomination letter that Vitorino “Started at the bottom of the organization and has worked his way up, giving him great insight into each and every job in the business, while giving him the ability to understand what he is asking others to do. This has also allowed him to make improvements at each position based on past experience.”

Award winners received a trip for two to attend the 2023 MILK Business Conference at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas, where they will be honored by more than 400 of their industry peers. Several speakers presented a vast ray of topics to help producers drive their dairy business forward, including beef-on-dairy, refining labor, a deep dive into policy and the economy and a panel that will include the three award winners talking about how their dairies went from good to great.

“We are so pleased by the amazing applications we received for the first MILK Business Conference Awards,” said Dustin Johansen, vice president, livestock at Farm Journal.