The National Dairy Farmers Assuring Responsible Management (FARM) Program announced today the 2026 Excellence Awards winners, whose dedication and everyday pursuit of excellence strengthen the U.S. dairy industry as a whole.
The 2026 FARM Excellence Award recipients are:
- Animal Care & Antibiotic Stewardship — Ideal Dairy Farms (Dairy Farmers of America)
- Environmental Stewardship – Paloma Dairy (United Dairymen of Arizona)
- Workforce Development — Silverstreak Dairies LLP (Land O’Lakes)
- Evaluator of the Year — Dr. Kandice Runyon (United Dairymen of Arizona)
“The awards honor dairy farmers and evaluators who turn a commitment to continuous improvement into meaningful action, setting a high standard for responsible care and stewardship across our industry,” said Chief Veterinary Officer Dr. Meggan Hain. “Congratulations to the winners and their efforts. The Program’s success rests on their achievements and the continued hard work of many dairy farmers like them.”
Winners were announced at the 2026 Joint Annual Meeting of the National Dairy Promotion and Research Board (NDB), National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) and United Dairy Industry Association (UDIA) in Kissimmee, FL.
The FARM Excellence Awards were created in 2021 to celebrate farms dedicated to continuous improvement in each of the FARM Program pillars, and to recognize a FARM Program evaluator for their exceptional care and attention to the farms they evaluate.
The awards are judged by FARM Farmer Advisory Council and FARM Task Force members, along with other subject matter experts. Farms and evaluators may be nominated by fellow dairy farmers and evaluators, members of their communities, extension, cooperative or processor staff, veterinarians, or other industry professionals.
Visit the FARM website for more information about the FARM Excellence Awards.
About the Winners:
Ideal Dairy Farms is located in Hudson Falls, NY as a Dairy Farmers of America member-farm. The farm earned the 2026 Excellence Award in Animal Care & Antibiotic Stewardship for its commitment to animal welfare through preventative herd health protocols and on-farm continuing education opportunities.
Paloma Dairy is based in Tempe, AZ as a long-time member of the United Dairymen of Arizona. The farm was awarded the 2026 Excellence Award in Environmental Stewardship for its use of the FARM Environmental Stewardship evaluation tool to support operational enhancements, capital planning and future investment decisions related to environmental performance metrics.
Silverstreak Dairies LLP is located in Sauk Centre, MN and is a Land O’Lakes member-farm. Silverstreak Dairies was honored with the 2026 Excellence Award in Workforce Development for its dedication to fostering a positive work culture by focusing on employee training, advancement and safety, building a strong on-farm work culture.
Kandice Runyon, DVM is based in Tempe, AZ and serves as the Director of Animal Wellbeing for United Dairymen of Arizona. Dr. Runyon was awarded the 2026 Excellence Award in the Evaluator of the Year category for her ability to garner trust and effectively communicate the mission of the FARM Program to UDA’s member-farms.
