FRANKENMUTH, Mich. — The spotlight shone on outstanding dairy producers at the 13th annual Great Lakes Regional Dairy Conference Feb. 5-7 at the Bavarian Inn and Conference Center in Frankenmuth.

“We had a great turnout of dairy farmers from all over the state who came this year. This indicates that dairymen want to continue to learn more and to learn from each other,” said Brian Troyer, conference coordinator. “We had an all-star lineup of speakers from as far away as Florida and a nice group of producers who were recognized for their achievement over the years.”

During the day it was standing room-only in many conference sessions as dairy producers learned about everything from reproduction to transition rations to emergency preparedness.

The evening presentations were all about recognition of industry stars.

Michigan State University Department of Animal Sciences’ 2015 Dairy Farmer of the Year was Mike Rasmussen of Edmore. He and his wife, Sonja, and three children, Jesse, Wilbert and Gracie, along with his father, Chris, are owners of Hillhaven Farms where they milk 870 cows and have 720 head of young stock. Rasmussen’s herd currently has a rolling average of 26,623 pounds of milk.

“I am very humbled that the industry I love would recognize me,” he said. “There have been some pretty great people in the past who have received this honor, and it is very gratifying to be among them.”

The Michigan Holstein Assoc. (MHA) presented its Master Breeder Award to Tom Barends of Fremont for developing an outstanding herd of Registered Holsteins. Barends started milking cows after high school and purchased a farm with a plan to make it into a profitable dairy farm. His herd of registered Holsteins has been highly regarded on the national level.

The MHA Outstanding Young Breeder award went to Scott Long of Long Haven Farms in Clayton. Long is in partnership with his parents, and they are well known throughout the country for their deep pedigreed herd of registered Holsteins. The Long Haven herd was one of five nationally recognized Herds of Excellence from the Holstein Assoc. USA in 2014, and the family have been awarded the Progressive Breeder Award for three years.

The Michigan Jersey Cattle Club (MJCC) honored Larry Haywood of Sand Creek Farms in Hastings as its Outstanding Jersey Breeder Award recipient. Larry and his son, Luke, manage their 1,200-cow dairy that includes Jerseys and Holsteins.

The MJCC also said “thank you” with its annual service award to an individual in the industry who goes above and beyond for the promotion of the breed. This year’s recipient was Dr. Joe Domecq of Michigan State University, for his tireless efforts in promoting unison among the purebred dairy industry of Michigan.

Cathy McCune of St. Louis, Mich., was named the winner of the Excellence in Dairy Promotion Award from the United Dairy Industry of Michigan (UDIM). Sponsored annually by UDIM, this award recognizes one outstanding Michigan dairy farm family member for their dedication to promoting dairy products.

The 2016 Great Lakes Regional Dairy Conference will take place Feb. 4-6 at the Soaring Eagle Casino and Conference Center  in Mt. Pleasant, Mich. For more information, visit http://glrdc.msu.edu