Do you know a producer who
deserves to be recognized for
quality milk production?
The NDQA program is made possible by the following sponsors' commitment
to milk quality:

Major Sponsor




Contributing Sponsors














A global organization for mastitis control
and milk quality

  

The National Dairy Quality Awards, now in its 18th year, recognizes the very best in quality milk production. The goal of the NDQA program is to honor dairy producers from across the United States who have successfully placed high priority on producing milk of the highest quality.

NMC, along with quality partners Merial, GEA Farm Technologies, Ecolab, Elanco, IBA Inc. Select Sires, QMI, and Hoard's Dairyman are sponsoring this year's awards.

Producers are nominated using a short questionnaire. NDQA judges then select top applicants who, working with their nominator, will be asked to complete a more detailed application form used for final judging. Applications will be evaluated for measures of quality, systems of monitoring udder health, milking routine, protocols for detection and treatment of clinical and subclinical cases, treatment protocols, and strategies for overall herd health and welfare.

The aim of the NDQA program is to recognize top quality milk producers of all sizes from all geographic regions of the country. Platinum, gold, and silver winners will be designated (there will be several winners in each class).

Platinum award winners will receive national recognition, along with complimentary registration and complimentary lodging at the NMC 51st Annual Meeting, January 22-24, 2012 at the Trade Winds Resort, St. Pete Beach, Florida, where the quality award winners will be announced. The January 10, 2012 issue of Hoard's Dairyman will have a feature article on the NDQA winners.

 All Platinum, Gold and Silver winners this year will also receive a complimentary, one-year NMC membership.

 Please be a part of this effort, and nominate deserving producers from your area (see below for information regarding nomination forms). The deadline for submitting nominations is September 10, 2011.

You can read about the winners from previous years here:
2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000

 For more information, contact JoDee Sattler, NDQA coordinator, 608-848-4615, ext 112.

Help the dairy industry honor its best producers!

Note: Dairy farms that have received a Platinum Award for two consecutive years will need to "sit out" two years before they are eligible again. (Meaning that producers who received Platinum recognition for 2009 and 2010 will be eligible again in 2013).


Nomination Process

The program is open to dairy producers in the United States. Producers are nominated using a one-page form. No additional records need to be submitted with this initial screening form. There are two options for completing nomination forms:

NOTE: ONLINE NOMINATIONS ARE PREFERRED!

1) Complete the nomination form online. [sorry, nominations are no longer accepted]

2) Download and print a nomination form to mail or fax to the NMC office by September 10. [sorry, nominations are no longer accepted] Forms that are incomplete or illegible will be DISQUALIFIED.

The deadline for submitting the intial screening form is September 10, 2011.

Judges will review the applications and select the top nominees, who will be asked to provide additional information on overall herd health and management practices. The final judging will be completed by late November.

[Dairy producers may not nominate themselves. Applications need to be submitted by professionals who serve the dairy industry, such as dairy plant field representatives, veterinarians, extension specialists, or DHI supervisors. The nominator must work with the dairy producer to complete this application.]
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