David Reid, Hazel Green, Wis., won the National Mastitis Council’s (NMC) Award of Excellence for Contribution to Mastitis Prevention and Control. The 2013 NMC president, he owns Rocky Ridge Dairy Consulting, LLC, which offers milk quality consulting services for individual dairies and dairy industry companies. Reid emphasizes the development of training programs for dairy employees, veterinarians and field representatives of dairy industry companies. Reid has consulted with dairy producers and veterinary practitioners in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Hungary, Spain, Australia, China, Russia, Slovakia, United Arab Emirates and England.
This award recognizes an NMC member who has provided sustained contributions to mastitis prevention and control through research, extension and/or education, clinical practice or service to dairy producers. Boehringer Ingelheim sponsors the award and presented Reid with a $2,500 honorarium.
Reid earned his bachelor’s and Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degrees from Kansas State University. He spent 14 years at Veterinary Associates, with offices in Hazel Green, Wis., and Galena, Ill. Reid focused on herd health programs, problem mastitis herds and consultation on mastitis and milking machine problems. In December 1987, he established Rocky Ridge Veterinary Service. As the only veterinarian on staff, he provided quality milk production management and consultation to dairy producers. Starting in 2003, Reid joined BouMatic as the director of milk harvest, science and technology. He was involved in product development of new milking equipment and training of BouMatic field personnel and dealer technicians, and implemented a program of back-to-the-barn milking system analysis – designed to improve milkability and dairy profitability.
Paul Rapnicki, Grande Cheese Company herd health and wellness veterinarian, described Reid as a “worldwide ambassador for the production of quality milk.” Rapnicki added, “David’s ability to share practical knowledge and real-world experience is a gift he has and one he continues to share with the dairy industry.” His famous “What do you see?” milking parlor pictures effectively teach students about opportunities for milking system and milk quality improvement.
Roger Thomson, MQ-IQ Consulting, LLC and NMC board member, explained that Reid is one of the pioneers who helped establish and standardize the rules for modern milking system evaluation. “His passion for quality milk harvesting and for what the dairy animal is experiencing is part of his ‘veterinarian DNA.’ Dr. Reid is a gifted and passionate teacher, and has mentored hundreds of individuals around the world about all things milk quality. He is selfless with his time and knowledge.”
Carolina Pinzon, an independent consultant for her company – FORTE Dairy Consulting – met Reid when working for a dairy equipment company. Reid taught Pinzon about milking equipment, parlor efficiencies and “milkability,” and generously shared his training materials with her. “In the same way he shared this knowledge with me, I saw firsthand his willingness to teach others what was best for the cows and milk quality,” said Pinzon. “His approachability and genuine interest for others to learn – from dealership technicians to dairy producers to co-workers – is one of his most prominent traits.”
Paul Virkler of Quality Milk Production Services, based in New York, noted Reid’s role in helping develop NMC’s “Procedures for Evaluating Vacuum Levels and Air Flow in Milking Systems” manual. “It has had a huge impact on the dairy industry, allowing a standard approach to testing milking equipment,” Virkler stated. “Dr. Reid was an integral part of this work and convincing equipment manufacturers, dealers, veterinarians and other dairy support personnel that there was value in testing all equipment in the same way.”
Brandon Treichler, Treichler Consulting Services and NMC board member, termed Reid as a long-standing contributor to NMC and global milk quality. “As a colleague and friend, he has greatly helped foster a passion in milk quality within me, as well as many other NMC members,” said Treichler. “Dr. Reid has consistently been a champion for practical on-farm milk quality, as evidenced by his slogan coined by another colleague, ‘No Data!’ At NMC meetings, he can always be found in a spirited conversation on some aspect of milk quality. I am confident that much has been learned by current, future and past NMC members from Dr. Reid.”
National Mastitis Council is a professional organization devoted to reducing mastitis and enhancing milk quality. NMC promotes research and provides information to the dairy industry on udder health, milking management, milk quality and milk safety. Founded in 1961, NMC has about 1,000 members in more than 40 countries throughout the world.
