DAMASCUS, Ohio — Five dairy farms in Columbiana County are among the top-producing herds in the state, as ranked by the DHI Cooperative.
Cold Run Jerseys, Lowmiller Farms, Smith Vale Farms, Nature View Farms and Leslie Farm received DHI Elite awards during the Columbiana-Mahoning DHI dairy banquet March 17, with production in the top 5 percent of herds within Ohio DHI.
Top Jersey herd
Cold Run Jerseys, the David Herron family of Salem, leads the state’s Jersey herds in production, with a 2016 herd average of 22,487 pounds of milk, 1,279 pounds butterfat and 877 pounds protein, for an energy correct milk average of 30,624 pounds. The farm, which is milking around 280 head, received the DHI Elite award for all three components.
Cold Run was also recognized as the top herd for fat production locally, and also most improved herd, with an increase of 136 pounds.
Nature View Farms is the fourth-ranked Jersey herd on test in Ohio, with a 2016 rolling herd average of 21,227 pounds milk, 1,006 pound fat and 790 pounds protein on 133 head. The Salem farm earned elite award for milk and protein production.
The top individual Jersey cow production award went to a member of the Cold Run herd, with energy correct milk production of 45,414 pounds.
Holstein leaders
Lowmiller Farms, Minerva, is ranked fifth in the state’s Holstein herds on DHI test, and received elite awards in all three components. The farm averaged 30,632 pounds milk, 1,153 pounds fat and 941 pounds protein on 162 head in 2016. The farm also earned the local DHI’s top protein production award.
Smith Vale Farms also received elite awards in milk, fat and protein, and is ranked seventh in the state for Holstein production on test. The 135-head herd averaged 31,040 pounds milk, 1,131 pounds fat and 932 pounds protein in 2016. The farm’s milk production was the top for the two-county DHI.
Leslie Farm received an elite award for its herd’s fat production, at 1,157 pounds.
Maple Valley Farms, the Sanor family, received the top quality herd award, with a low somatic cell count of 34,000.
Lowmiller Farms also received the top Holstein cow award, for individual production of 42,855 pounds.
Other breeds
Other top herds, based on energy corrected milk, were: Ayrshire, Bill Kornbau, 19,488 pounds; Milking Shorthorn, Honey Creek Farms, 13,930 pounds; and mixed herd, Neville Dairy, 22,980 pounds.
Bricker Farms received the top Ayrshire individual cow production award, at 26,720 pounds; Bill Kornbau, top individual Brown Swiss, 22,244 pounds; Guernsey, Randy Mattevi, 21,609 pounds; Milking Shorthorn, Honey Creek, 20,058 pounds; and mixed, Martig Farms, 35,858 pounds.
Election
Jim Herron, Miranda Simon and Bret Lowmiller were each re-elected to three-year terms on the Columbiana-Mahoning DHI board of directors. Other board members are Steve Crist, Joel Smith, Crist Martig and Austen Shoemaker.
Elton Lowmiller succeeds Bill Grammer as state director. Grammer gave a final update at the March 17 meeting. Most notably, the Ohio-based DHI Cooperative is now providing management for the Southeast DHIA, with operations in Florida and Georgia.
