Maryland & Virginia Milk Producers Cooperative Association (MDVA) honored Dennis and Karolyn Auker of Aukerlyn Farm in Landisburg, Pennsylvania as its District 1 Producer of the Year during the co-op’s recent District Meetings. The District Producer of the Year award recognizes a cooperative member for outstanding farm management, animal care, and environmental stewardship in each district.
“We offer our congratulations to the Auker family for their recognition as the District 1 Producer of the Year,” MDVA Executive Vice President for Sustainability and External Relations Lindsay Reames said. “The Auker family are tremendous stewards to their land, take a high level of regard for care for their animals, and offer an extremely high-quality product to our customers. They are more than deserving of this honor.”
“I want milk that’s above and beyond,” Dennis Auker said. “I love cows and this is my life. Our milk is a good quality product that we work night and day to get it there in a high-quality form.”
The family farms 500 acres of crops and around 120 milking cows. Their newly constructed barns offer comforts for cows like fans, ventilation, and sawdust bedding. He takes extreme care by paying special attention to udder health and keeping his mostly Holstein herd in clean and dry conditions. Auker is a steward of his land by using no-till cropping to improve soil quality.
“I plant cover crops in the fall to hold our ground in place. We want our ground here on the farm, not in the Chesapeake Bay,” Auker said.
About the District Producer of the Year Awards
Maryland & Virginia Milk Producers Cooperative presents the District Producer of the Year award to a member farm in each of its three regional districts. Started in 2019, the District Producer of the Year Award is presented to members who not only achieve high quality milk, but who go above and beyond to demonstrate outstanding overall farm management, animal care, environmental stewardship, and community engagement. All three farms will be considered for the cooperative’s top honor, Producer of the Year, at the cooperative’s annual meeting in March 2023.
About Maryland & Virginia Milk Producers Cooperative
Maryland & Virginia Milk Producers Cooperative is a community of more than 900 dairy farm families in 11 states passionate about cultivating dairy goodness and bottling fresh Maola brand milk and dairy products. Our farmer-owned cooperative owns five dairy processing plants that process more than three billion pounds of milk annually. Our diverse portfolio of dairy products are then distributed to consumers in the United States and ingredients customers worldwide. Our cooperative is a leader in sustainability, partnering across the supply chain to deliver sustainable solutions to our member farms. We take pride in supporting the educational and nutritional needs of the communities in our milkshed through our MDVA Fund. For more information about Maryland & Virginia, visit www.mdvamilk.com.
Contact: Amanda Culp
