WASHINGTON, January 25, 2022—Hildebrand Farms Dairy of Junction City, Kansas, was recognized today as the 2022 Innovative Dairy Farmer of the Year at the International Dairy Foods Association’s (IDFA) Dairy Forum. The award is presented each year by IDFA and Dairy Herd Management magazine. The Hildebrand family has been at the forefront of innovation — from their processing plant to multifaceted industry partnerships to tapping into the A2 milk market. Each advancement has paved a sustainable path of success for this four-generation farm.

According to Dairy Herd Management, Hildebrand has nine varieties of milk and two varieties of butter in more than 150 stores throughout Kansas. With the changing tastes and diets of today’s consumers, the Hildebrands began refocusing their herd’s genetics two years ago by using sires with strong A2 traits. The Hildebrand family decided to build their on-site bottling plant in September 2008 with the goal to create a fully sustainable farm. The farm became members of Central Equity, which was willing to purchase any leftover milk. Today, any surplus from the Hildebrand operation is used in a nearby cheese plant, and—appreciating neighborly relationships—the Hildebrands return the favor when nearby creameries similar in size and scale are short on milk by supplying them with extra.

Hildebrand Farms Dairy has also built strong partnerships with the USDA Research Center in Manhattan, Kansas, and with Kansas State University’s dairy plant to help with important research that will benefit the entire dairy industry.

Hildebrand Farms is owned and operated by brothers David and Alan and their wives, Kathy and Mary, respectively. Alan’s daughter Melissa serves as the operations manager and David’s son, Tod, offers a helping hand with the crop enterprise and day-to-day operations.

The award was accepted by Melissa Hildebrand Reed. You can read more about Hildebrand Farms Dairy in this feature story from Dairy Herd Management magazine.

“Hildebrand Farms Dairy is a model for how farms of any size can thrive through collaboration, innovation and stewardship,” said Michael Dykes, D.V.M., IDFA president and CEO. “The Hildebrands have for decades capitalized on opportunities to become more sustainable, to process and bottle their own milk, and more recently, to take advantage of consumer health trends. All the while, they’ve built partnerships with other dairy businesses in their community. IDFA is grateful to the Hildebrand family for their decades of advocacy on behalf of U.S. dairy, and we’re proud to know innovative farms like Hildebrand Farms Dairy are paving the way for our industry to thrive.”

“It is an absolute honor for our farm to be recognized as the Innovative Dairy of the Year. Throughout the last 13 years we have provided our fresh milk in glass bottles to customers throughout the state of Kansas. Each customer and supporter is to thank for allowing our farm to continue for my generation and those to come," said Melissa Hildebrand-Reed. “While we are by no means utilizing the latest technology on our farm, our farm receiving this award shows that innovation can be created through data driven decisions, farmers listening to the end consumer and strength in strategic partnerships. We love opportunities to expand research in our industry and provide on-farm experience for veterans and college students alike."

Hildebrand Farms Dairy was nominated for the award by Mike Beam, Secretary of the Kansas Department of Agriculture.

Previous winners of the Innovative Dairy Farmer title are Mason Dixon Farms, Gettysburg, Pa. (1999); Clauss Dairy Farms, Hilmar, Calif. (2000); Baldwin Dairy/Emerald Dairy, Emerald, Wis. (2001); Si-Ellen Farms, Jerome, Idaho (2002); Pagel's Ponderosa Dairy, Kewaunee, Wis. (2003); C Bar M Dairy, Jerome, Idaho (2004); North Florida Holsteins, Bell, Fla. (2005); KF Dairy, El Centro, Calif. (2006); Joseph Gallo Farms, Atwater, Calif. (2007); KBC Farms, Purdy, Mo., (2008); High Plains Dairy, Friona, Texas (2009); Haubenschild Dairy Farm, Inc., Princeton, Minn. (2010); Brubaker Farms, Mount Joy, Pa. (2011); Sweetwater Valley Farm, Philadelphia, Tenn. (2012); McCarty Family Farms, Rexford, Kan. (2014); Hilmar Jerseys, Hilmar, Calif. (2015); Holsum Dairies, Hilbert, Wis. (2016); Jer-Lindy Farms LLC, Brooten, Minn. (2017); Schrack Farm Resources LP, Loganton, Pa. (2018); Foster Brothers Farms, Middlebury, Vt. (2019); MVP Dairy of Kansas and Ohio (2020); and Homestead Dairy, Plymouth, Ind. (2021).

A call for nominations for the 2023 Innovative Dairy Farmer award will be released this summer.

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The International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA), Washington, D.C., represents the nation’s dairy manufacturing and marketing industry, which supports more than 3.3 million jobs that generate $41.6 billion in direct wages and $753 billion in overall economic impact. IDFA’s diverse membership ranges from multinational organizations to single-plant companies, from dairy companies and cooperatives to food retailers and suppliers, all on the cutting edge of innovation and sustainable business practices. Together, they represent 90 percent of the milk, cheese, ice cream, yogurt and cultured products, and dairy ingredients produced and marketed in the United States and sold throughout the world. Delicious, safe and nutritious, dairy foods offer unparalleled health and consumer benefits to people of all ages.

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