Leading dairy herds in 2016 were recognized during the annual Elkhart County Dairy Herd Improvement Assn. banquet last Thursday in Nappanee. High herd awards were presented to Steve Landis, Darrell and Bonita Richard and Jonas Zimmerman, while Lyle and Carla Weaver were honored for having the most improved herd.
Steve Landis led the way among herds with 1 to 49 cows. His herd of 35 Holsteins had a dollar value of $4,533. Averages for milk, protein and butterfat were 26,832 pounds, 1,140 pounds and 849 pounds, respectively. In second place was the herd owned by Verl Weaver, which had a dollar value of $4,092, along with averages of 20,695 pounds of milk, 1,089 pounds of fat and 692 pounds of protein. James Blessing's herd ranked third with a dollar value of $3,680. His herd's milk, fat and protein averages were 24,440 pounds, 901 pounds and 716 pounds, respectively.
For herds of 50 to 99 cows, Darrell and Bonita Richard saw their 82 cows produce 30,660 pounds of milk, 1,368 pounds of fat and 942 pounds of protein. These averages produced a dollar value of $5,294, ranking first. James Stauffer's 81 cows was next with a dollar value of $4,319. Milk, fat and protein averages were 26,113 pounds, 1,072 pounds and 827 pounds, respectively. In third place was the herd owned by Max Paul. His herd had a dollar value of $4,116 and averages of 25,878 pounds of milk, 1,002 pounds of fat and 813 pounds of protein.
At $4,662, Jonas Zimmerman's 131 cows had the highest dollar value among herds with 100 or more cows. His herd's milk, fat and protein averages were 28,013 pounds, 1,191 pounds and 846 pounds, respectively. Other top herds in that size category were owned by Jonathon Zimmerman, $4,337 value, 29,889 pounds of milk, 1,052 pounds of fat and 877 pounds of protein, and Oneeda Farms, $4,224 value, 27,444 pounds of milk, 1,028 pounds of fat and 832 pounds of protein.
Lyle and Carla Weaver had the most improved herd, picking up $733 in value from 2015. Others on the most improved list were James Stauffer, with a gain of $433, and Darrell Richard, with a $310 improvement.
For protein breeds, Verl Weaver paced the field with a dollar value of $4,092. Dean Kronk was second with a value of $3,483 (21,526 pounds of milk, 816 pounds of fat and 733 pounds of protein), and Thad Coning was third with $3,425 (20,308 pounds of milk, 825 pounds of fat and 692 pounds of protein).
For individual cows, Darrell and Bonita Richard had five cows that led the way for production in their respective age categories. Their junior 2-year-old registered a dollar value of $5,923, based on milk, fat and protein averages of 31,995 pounds, 1,575 pounds and 998 pounds, respectively. The Richards' senior 2-year-old ranked first with a $5,549 value and produced 34,988 pounds of milk, 1,390 pounds of fat and 1,041 pounds of protein.
Darrell and Bonita Richard's junior 3-year-old had a dollar value of $6,372, which is based on 36,665 pounds of milk, 1,654 pounds of fat and 1,124 pounds of protein. Their high 4-year-old produced 38,718 pounds of milk, 2,092 pound of fat and
1,177 pounds of protein, for a dollar value of $7,580. The Richards also had the high lifetime cow, which has produced 300,543 pounds of milk, 13,123 pounds of fat and 9,238 pounds of protein.
Steven Weaver had the high senior 3-year-old, which had a dollar value of $6,571. Milk, fat and protein averages were 33,855 pounds, 1,698 pounds and 1,180 pounds, respectively.
A cow owned by Jonas Zimmerman led the way among 5-year-olds. With a dollar value of $6,709, the Holstein produced 33,366 pounds of milk, 1,825 pounds of fat and 1,081 pounds of protein.
Among protein cows, Weaver owned the high cow, a Guernsey, which produced 26,465 pounds of milk and had a dollar value of $5,988. The cow's fat and protein averages were 1,727 pounds and 837 pounds, respectively.
The second-high protein cow was owned by Richard Thomas. The Jersey produced 25,576 pounds of milk, 1,514 pounds of fat and 885 pounds of protein, resulting in a dollar value of $5,534. The third-place protein cow was a Guernsey owned by Verl Weaver. She produced 23,746 pounds of milk, 1,526 pounds of fat and 757 pounds of protein, resulting in a dollar value of $5,324.