Love for Dairy Farmers
Every morning I watch in awe as my husband, Scott, pulls on his bootstraps and heads to the dairy barn with a sense of purpose and passion. Like all of you, Scott leans on solid management and good communication while trying hard to push his family farm forward. All I can say is God bless American dairy farmers. You work hard despite the hardships that come your way.
Milk Business Award Winners
Perhaps that’s why I’m thrilled to honor this year’s Milk Business Award winners. Laurenio Vitorino, Ben Smith and Chris Szydel represent the fabric of U.S. dairy farmers, demonstrating rock-solid characteristics that have helped push their dairies from good to great.
Our Employee Excellence winner came to America as a 15-year-old boy with his family and quickly found his calling. Vitorino has worked for the Ahlem family for more than three decades and now serves as a manager. He played a significant role in helping the dairy transition to robotic milking. Check his full story out here - He Started Out as a Milker Nearly 30 Years Ago. Now, He's the Manager and a Leader in Technology at Wisconsin's Largest Family-Owned Dairy | Dairy Herd
Our Young Producer winner has taken his family dairy to the next level. After working for other farms across the U.S., Smith returned to his family farm. His father, Ken, shares how proud he is of his son, particularly his drive and ambition to push the dairy forward at a young age. Check his full story out here - At Just 31 Years Old, He Bought The Dairy Farm From His Parents. And In The 1st Year, The Growth Has Been Incredible | Dairy Herd
Our Leader in Technology winner has held numerous positions through the years, and now serves as a manager, overseeing three parlors and 65 employees. Szydel is instrumental in helping Pagel’s Ponderosa incorporate various technologies, analyzing options with a focus on finding the best fit to improve efficiencies and ROI. Check his full story out here - He Started Out as a Milker Nearly 30 Years Ago. Now, He's the Manager and a Leader in Technology at Wisconsin's Largest Family-Owned Dairy | Dairy Herd
I consider it a privilege and honor to write stories about leading dairies and dairy farmers who are committed to pushing their operations forward. Read more about these Milk Business Award winners - How These Three Dairies Went from Good to Great
My words of advice as you face 2024’s low milk price: Remember why you do what you do for a living. We need dairy farmers to continue to push forward to produce nutritious dairy products to feed the world.
