AgSource Cooperative Services recognized Donald Andrews, former Vice President of DHI Direct Member Services, as the 2017 Friend of the Cooperative at the AgSource Annual Meeting, held in Bloomington, Minn., on January 25. The award honors a non-member individual or an organization that has contributed to, supported and helped strengthen AgSource, its services and the dairy industry as a whole.
On January 1st, 1959, Andrews began his DHI career as a field technician in Lafayette County in southern Wisconsin. In 1959, there were more than 103,000 dairy herds in Wisconsin, each with an average of 20 cows per herd.
Within six years, Andrews became the manager of the Lafayette County Dairy Herd Improvement Association. In 1969, Lafayette County DHIA merged with the Agricultural Records Cooperative (ARC), which later became known as Wisconsin DHI and today is known as AgSource.
Andrews’ skill as a manager and contributions on the managers’ advisory board were recognized in 1987 when he was presented with the DHI Manager Outstanding Service Award.
Andrews has held positions as the Southern Field Division Manager, the Member Services Manager, and in 2001, was promoted to Vice President of DHI Direct Member Services. He retired from that position in 2004, but continued to work part-time for AgSource’s Meter Center and DHI Services until he fully retired in 2014. He resides in Darlington with his wife of 50 years, Shirley.
Much has changed since 1959. When he began his career, he joined herd owners for supper and breakfast and stayed overnight in their homes on test day. Today, there are now fewer than 10,000 dairy herds in Wisconsin and the average herd size is approximately 130 cows.
“From the Babcock test to electronic lab equipment and from collecting and measuring samples with a “pail and scale” to utilizing Tru-Test portable, electronic milk meters, Donny has seen a lot of changes and challenges in DHI over the last 50 years,” states Pat Baier, AgSource COO. “It is my honor to recognize Donny Andrews and thank him for 54 years of dedication and contributions to the DHI industry.”
AgSource is the largest, full-service DHI provider in the country, conducting research and development, field data collection, laboratory analysis and diagnostics, management information, meter service and outreach and education. AgSource is a member-owned cooperative and a subsidiary of Cooperative Resources International. Learn more at www.AgSource.com.
