A dairy farm near La Broquerie has been recognized as having the best managed herd in Manitoba.

Neil Petreny is the General Manager of Canwest DHI a farmer owned organization that provides herd management services to over 3,700 dairy farms across western Canada. He notes every year they award exceptional dairy farms for successful herd management and this year Labass Holsteins Ltd. is the top farm in Manitoba.

Petreny says there are a variety of factors that are taken into account when choosing winners.

"Probably the most important one is measured by milk value, that is the volume of milk and the components within the milk that generate revenue on the farm, that accounts for about half of their score. The other half is how well they manage the herd, anywhere from animal care to udder health."

Jan Bassa is the Owner of Labass Holsteins Ltd. which is located just south of La Broquerie. He says over the years they have climbed in the rankings, but it was still a surprise to be number one. He notes the key to herd management is having great staff members and working closely with their veterinarian, their nutritionist, and reproduction specialist.

Bassa says winning an award like this has a positive effect on the whole farm.

"It gives us pride, that is for sure. It gives the staff a good feeling that they accomplished something working as a team. Everybody works toward a goal and most of it is pride for the guys who work here and for myself too, it feels good. The benefit of it is a healthy herd that is well taken care of and that shows up in your herd management scores."

Bassa says they milk 550 cows three times a day at Labass Holsteins. He notes quality is everything and they hope to continue improving their product.