Page 40 - BCHNews-122023-Web

40 WC DAIRY NEWS  CHRISTMAS 2023
Celebrating Major Industry Awards this Fall!
Lifelong dedicated influencers in the dairy cattle genetic improvement world. (L-R) Pierre Laliberté, Brian Van Doormaal, Dr. Dave Kelton.
World Dairy Expo recognized three well-known dairy cattle industry leaders during their 2023 event in Madison, WI, in October. From left: International Person of the Year, Bonnie Cooper, former Canadian Holstein Journal editor and free-lance writer from North York, ON; Dairy Producer of the Year, Randy Kortus of Mainstream Holsteins, Jerseys & Ayrshires, Lynden, WA; and Industry Person of the Year, Tom Morris of Tom Morris Ltd., Deronda Farm and Cattle CONNECTION, Amery, WI. Roger Sherman photo
World Dairy Expo Special Awards
International Person of the Year
Congratulations Bonnie!
Announced earlier this Spring, we are thrilled to recognize once again, Bonnie Cooper’s career-topping award – International Person of the Year, bestowed by World Dairy Expo. Bonnie’s distinguished career spanned more than 45 years and she was known far and wide via her role as Editor of the Holstein Journal. Her path knit together a staggering breadth of stories of breeders, shows and sales over four decades, creating an unrivaled tapestry of the most exciting years of Canadian Holstein breed development that will be referenced for many years to come.
Truly an ambassador for Canadian Holsteins, she continues to share her writing skills, bringing forward a wide range of dairy topics through her freelance writing. Western Canadian Dairy News is one beneficiary of her journalistic talents. Thank you, Bonnie and congratulations again, on your well-deserved award!
International Dairy Federation Awards
Canadian Organizations Capture Prestigious Awards on International Stage
The International Dairy Federation held the World Dairy Summit in Chicago in October. The IDF presented their Dairy Innovation Awards on October 16, chosen from a total of 176 entries from 26 countries! “The IDF Dairy Innovation Awards showcase the dairy industry on a global scale while highlighting innovative processes, practices, and products that enhance efficiency and contribute to the UN Sustainable Development Goals,” their press release explains.
From the Lactanet Press Release:
Nominated by Dairy Farmers of Canada, Lactanet and Semex were recognized during the IDF World Dairy Summit in Chicago with a prestigious Dairy Innovation Award – Innovation in Climate Action – for developing Canada’s Methane Efficiency genetic evaluation. This is the world’s first official genetic evaluation that helps dairy producers genetically select animals that will contribute to reduced methane emissions from dairy cattle, without impacting production levels.
“The funding this initiative received from DFC in collaboration with other engaged partners, helped demonstrate the accuracy of predicting individual animal methane emissions. We are excited and honoured to be part of the future of dairy farming, and we thank the IDF Dairy Innovation Awards for recognizing the continuous efforts of dairy farmers in striving for a more sustainable future for everyone,” says David Wiens, President of DFC.
Lactanet’s Methane Efficiency genetic evaluation was launched in April 2023 after 10 years of research and development, led by the University of Guelph.
“Accelerating sustainable and innovative dairy management practices is important to our industry and we all have a role to play,” states Barbara Paquet,
Lactanet’s Dairy Cattle Improvement Industry Distinction Awards
Surprise Recognition for Lactanet Longtimer Congratulations Brian Van Doormaal!
We announced last issue that Dr. David Kelton from the University of Guelph and Pierre Laliberté from Semex Alliance were recognized with Lactanet’s 2023 Dairy Cattle Improvement Industry Distinction Awards. The third Distinction award was kept secret until the unveiling at Lactanet’s industry meetings in Quebec in September. Brian Van Doormaal, Lactanet’s Chief Services Officer has dedicated his 37-year career to advancing the genetic improvement of dairy cattle in Canada and even beyond. Brian was born on an Ontario dairy, then proceeded to receive his B.Sc. in Animal Science and M.Sc. in Animal Breeding degrees from the University of Guelph.
Following nine years at CIAQ in Quebec as Director of Genetics, Brian was lured to a pivotal industry role, becoming CDN’s first employee and only General Manager for 24 years until it merged in the Lactanet partnership in 2019. His leadership has guided genetic improvement substantially, transitioning genetic evaluations from the federal government to industry, overseeing the introduction of many new traits, improved methodologies, and most notably, the introduction of genomic evaluations in 2009 – making Canada the first country to embrace this revolutionary new technology.
In more recent years, new evaluations were introduced for Feed Efficiency (2021) and Methane Efficiency (2023). Brian has also served more than 35 years on Canada’s Genetic Evaluation Board, and some 25 years on the Interbull Steering Committee internationally. It can’t be overstated how much Brian’s leadership has positively impacted the genetic improvement industry over his career, contributing to Canada’s well-earned reputation for a robust evaluation system. Congratulations to all three recipients of the Distinction Award!
Lactanet Board Chair and dairy farmer.
“Semex is thrilled to
accept this award along
with our Lactanet
partners. By bringing
the world’s first Methane
Efficiency index to the
dairy industry, we are empowering producers worldwide to take immediate, simple, low cost, and permanent action in reducing their own breeding programs’ methane emissions,” says Paul Larmer, Semex CEO.
DFC Also Receives IDF Dairy Innovation Award
From the DFC Press Release:
Dairy Farmers of Canada (DFC) was honoured at the International Dairy Federation (IDF) Dairy Innovation Awards. DFC’s “Net Zero by 2050 – We’re In” campaign won in IDF’s Innovation in Marketing & Communication Initiative Building Dairy category. Additionally, DFC’s digital “cow influencer,” Daisy, and her Mini-Games was recognized as a finalist in the same category.
“The honours received at the IDF Dairy Innovation Awards shine a spotlight on the Canadian dairy industry by recognizing its continuous innovation, both on and off the farm,” says David Wiens, president of DFC. “These campaigns highlight the commitment and advances our sector is making towards net zero and we are proud to share real farmer success stories with our fellow Canadians.”
Pamela Nalewajek, DFC’s Chief Marketing Officer, was on hand to accept the award in Chicago. “This recognition would not be possible without our hardworking dairy farmers, who strive day in, day out to feed the nation,” says Nalewajek.