Quintessential Family Farm Honored by Michigan State University
3/14/08
Contact: Sara Long
517-432-1555, ext. 170
EAST LANSING, Mich. -- It’s all in the family at Dale-Stamp Farms in Marlette, Mich. The multigenerational farm was honored with the Michigan State University (MSU) Dairy Farmer of the Year award in recognition of the family’s commitment to technology, profitability and sustainability.
Tom and Deanna Stamp and Linwood and Elizabeth Dale, Dale-Stamp Farms owners, received the award recently during the Great Lakes Regional Dairy Conference. Michigan State University Department of Animal Science chairperson Karen Plaut made the presentation.
“The Dairy Farmer of the Year award recognizes leaders that have had a real impact on the dairy community as a whole -- people committed both on and off the farm to improving the dairy industry,” Plaut said.
The Dale Farm was established in 1854 and the Stamp Farm in 1856. The operations combined in 1976 when siblings Deanna and Linwood bought their uncle’s farm and created Dale-Stamp Farms with their spouses.
With a herd of 200 Holstein cows plus replacements, the farm’s current Dairy Herd Improvement (DHI) rolling herd average is 27,120 pounds of milk, 1,029 pounds of fat and 785 pounds of protein.
Dale-Stamp family ties do not end on the dairy. The farm also raises replacements and feeds dry cows for a Dale- and Stamp-family owned 3,900-acre crop farm and dairy. The three side-by-side farming enterprises share equipment and resources.
Off the farm, owners of Dale-Stamp Farms have served the Michigan Agriculture Commission, the National Dairy Board, the MSU Extension and Experiment Station Council, the MSU Dairy Advisory Committee, the Michigan Milk Producers Association, the Michigan Animal Breeders Cooperative, the Marlette Township Board of Review, and other church and community organizations on the local, state and national levels.
“It is a privilege to recognize and thank Dale-Stamp Farms for their leadership and unselfish dedication to their families, farm business, community, Michigan State University and the Michigan dairy industry,” Plaut said.
Tom Stamp accepted the award from Plaut and reflected on the family’s 30-plus years of partnership and involvement in the dairy industry. He said the family was honored and humbled by the award.
Nominees for the award are gathered from MSU Extension Dairy Area of Expertise educators and animal science faculty members in the fall of each year. A team of faculty members and Extension educators selects a winner on the basis of commitment and contributions to the dairy industry.
The MSU Department of Animal Science has a 100-year tradition of educating outstanding students, providing excellence in research and engaging communities through Extension activities. For more information, call (517) 355-8383 or visit www.ans.msu.edu.
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