Winner of Holstein UK Presidents Medal Award 2015 announced

Michael Yates, left, from Scotland South Holstein Young Breeders has been announced as the winner of the prestigious 2015 Presidents Medal Award

The announcement took place during the Semex Dairy Conference in Glasgow, attracting over 200 farmers from all over the UK and overseas.

National HYB Coordinator Rebecca Kirk took to the stage to introduce the award, commenting “our fourteen hundred and growing HYB members are the future of the dairy industry, and whilst we are consistently faced with challenges such as unsustainable milk prices, devastating floods, and persistent disease, we still see the next generation strive forward into the industry with incredible enthusiasm and relentless passion.”

Taking to the floor to announce the winner was judge Randolph Miller, Holstein UK President. Randolph commented: “We were looking for a well-grounded individual with a good understanding of the industry and Holstein breed, who is involved in farming and has made a big contribution to their Holstein Club and Holstein Young Breeders.”

Winner Michael Yates is responsible for the day to day running of his family’s Logan herd, having worked on the home farm since leaving school. He has enjoyed numerous successes in both HYB and Young Farmers. Michael is a perfectionist in everything he does with a forward thinking approach to the industry.

All nominees were required to submit an essay titled ‘My Agenda for Dairy Farming’, and it was Michael’s following statement that drew the attention of the judges: “My agenda is about the promotion of the dairy industry’s products and their corresponding health benefits….However, in order to keep dairy farms in business, the farmers need to look at areas that can be improved on farm so that a healthy herd and profitable income can be achieved.”

Congratulations also to Nicola Lockyer (Devon HYB) and Andrew Patton (Northern Ireland HYB), who were the two reserve finalists of this prestigious award.

As part of the winner’s prize, Michael will be heading to the Royal Ulster Winter Fair later this year courtesy of Semex.

For further information on Holstein Young Breeders, please visit http://www.holstein-uk.org/hyb or contact [email protected].