BURLINGTON, Vt. — Do you know of an outstanding, efficiently managed dairy operation that sets a strong example for other farmers to follow through its management practices, innovative ideas or overall excellence in dairying? If so, consider nominating that farm for the 2019 Vermont Dairy Farm of the Year award.
University of Vermont Extension and the Vermont Dairy Industry Association (VDIA) are accepting nominations through April 26 from agricultural organizations, businesses, farmers and other individuals. Previous nominees that did not win this award may be nominated again.
To submit a nomination or learn about the program and previous winners, visit http://go.uvm.edu/vdfya. Or call Peggy Manahan at (800) 639-2130 to request a nomination form.
The recipient will be chosen by a judging committee of past award winners. This committee will visit the farms to evaluate each on its total farm management, herd, milk quality, crop production, pasture quality, conservation and environmental practices and contributions to the dairy industry, among other criteria. The winner will be announced in early summer and will be honored at Eastern States Exposition, the Vermont Farm Show’s dairy farmer luncheon and the annual VDIA meeting.
The New England Green Pastures Program, which began in 1947 as a way to publicly acknowledge farms with the “greenest pastures” in the region, sponsors the Vermont Dairy Farm of the Year award along with similar awards programs in each of the other five New England states. In 1961 selection of a regional winner was eliminated with each state recognizing its own outstanding dairy enterprise instead.
–UVM Extension
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