Milk and dairy products are always in the news. Whether it’s the debate over whole milk vs. low-fat milk, or the debate over the complex issue of Canadian tariffs on U.S. dairy products, milk and dairy farmers gain a fair share of press.
When dairy farmers gathered recently in West Point for the annual Nebraska State Dairy Association convention, they discussed the economic challenges, policy debates and production concerns that are on the minds of dairy producers across the nation. But they also took time to honor those who have made a big difference in the industry.
Nebraska Extension dairy nutrition specialist Paul Kononoff was honored with the Philip H. Cole Dairy Industry Person of the Year award. For Kononoff, it is not only the dairy cows that keep him working diligently in the business, but it’s also the people.
Helping producers
“I love hearing the passion that farmers have for producing milk and making a living in agriculture,” Kononoff says. “I also enjoy finding ways we can use science to solve their problems and make life better for their families and employees. Being presented with this award from NSDA is the greatest honor of my career.”
Born in Canada, Kononoff’s father was a large-animal veterinarian, so that is what brought his attention to cattle. “But I was always interested in nutrition of animals, so I decided to study animal science at the University of Saskatchewan,” he explains.
After attending Penn State University, he eventually earned his doctorate in animal science, with an emphasis on animal nutrition.
Kononoff was working in the dairy industry as a technical support specialist, and then as a project director at the University of New Hampshire, after which he gained an Extension and research appointment with the University of Nebraska in the animal science department.
That was 20 years ago, and now Kononoff is an ex-officio member and board member of NSDA and the Dairy Council of Nebraska (Midwest Dairy), along with serving as the editor-in-chief of the Journal of Dairy Science. He has published more than 100 peer-reviewed scientific articles, and he has mentored 31 graduate students during his time at UNL.
“I have major research areas that include forage quality, feed characterization with application to nutrition models, and energy metabolism,” Kononoff says. “I study energetics by using indirect calorimetry and explore manipulations of diet and the effects on whole animal energy utilization. Although I love all dairy breeds, my studies place particular focus on lactating Jersey cattle.”
RESEARCH STUDIES: Kononoff’s research emphasizes dairy cattle nutrition. He notes that ensuring high-quality forages for the lactating ration of the cow is one of the great challenges every day for dairy producers. (Courtesy of UNL)
Kononoff’s emphasis on dairy nutrition offers a unique perspective when it comes to production challenges.
“Feed is the biggest cost of dairy production, and forages make up about one-half of the diet we feed lactating cows,” he notes. “We know that the quality of forages is affected by growing conditions, as well as harvest and storage practices. Working to ensure high-quality forage year in and year out is one of the biggest challenges producers face.”
Cows cannot reach their milk production potential without high-quality forages. “In the face of extreme weather, water shortages and demands on time, there is no doubt ensuring high-quality forage is delivered to the herd day in and day out is now and will continue to be a major challenge of dairy producers,” Kononoff adds.
And the winner is …
In addition to the industry award, NSDA honored producers with milk quality awards at the convention:
Somatic cell count. Tuls Double Dutch Dairy-East of Shelby gained first place. Crook Dairy, Humboldt, took second place, and third went to Tuls Butler County-South, Surprise.
Standard plate count. Double Dutch Dairy-West took first place, followed by MPM Farms-East, Wakefield, in second and MPM Farms-West, Wayne, in third.
Production awards were also received at the convention. Snodgrass Dairy, Orchard, earned first place. Thiele Dairy, Clearwater, took second place, and MPM Farms-West earned third.
Learn more at nebraskamilk.org.