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Melanie Herman of St. Cloud, Florida was named Select Sires’ Select Reproductive Solutions® (SRS®) Specialist of the Year at the 2018 SRS Conference. The conference was held in Battle Creek, Mich., from June 4 to June 7.

“Melanie is ambitious and proactive. She is a leader in the SRS community in providing solutions to alleviate heat stress in herds. Her first-hand experience working with dairies in Florida made for a valuable presentation at this year’s conference,” says Dr. Ray Nebel, vice president of technical service programs, Select Sires. “She has also advanced her skillset by taking formal Spanish-language classes to better communicate with the growing Hispanic dairy workforce.”

Herman is a graduate of the University of Florida and has a bachelor of science degree in animal sciences. From May 2004 to December 2015, she worked as a relief A.I. technician, AntelBio laboratory supervisor, SRS specialist, A.I. trainer, SRS coordinator and account team leader at NorthStar Cooperative in Michigan. In January 2016, she joined the Select Sire Power team in Florida. Her current responsibilities include SRS, conducting Select Mating Service® (SMS®) consultations, and A.I. training.

“Her enthusiasm is contagious and she attacks every opportunity with a passion that is second to none. Melanie’s ability to analyze situations and prepare solutions is incredible. She continues to push herself and find ways to be better prepared to serve her customers-owners and help them achieve success,” says Dave Whitlock, regional marketing manager, Select Sire Power.

Based in Plain City, Ohio, Select Sires Inc., is North America's largest A.I. organization and is comprised of nine farmer-owned and -controlled cooperatives. As the industry leader, it provides highly fertile semen as well as excellence in service and programs to achieve its basic objective of supplying dairy and beef producers with North America's best genetics at a reasonable price.