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“We offer our congratulations to the Auker family for their recognition as the District 1 Producer of the Year,” MDVA Executive Vice President for Sustainability and External Relations Lindsay Reames said. “The Auker family are tremendous stewards to their land, take a high level of regard for care for their animals, and offer an extremely high-quality product to our customers. They are more than deserving of this honor.”

“I want milk that’s above and beyond,” Dennis Auker said. “I love cows and this is my life. Our milk is a good quality product that we work night and day to get it there in a high-quality form.”

The family farms 500 acres of crops and around 120 milking cows. Their newly constructed barns offer comforts for cows like fans, ventilation, and sawdust bedding. He takes extreme care by paying special attention to udder health and keeping his mostly Holstein herd in clean and dry conditions. Auker is a steward of his land by using no-till cropping to improve soil quality.

“I plant cover crops in the fall to hold our ground in place. We want our ground here on the farm, not in the Chesapeake Bay,” Auker said.