Alltech Wisconsin presented 2022 Most Valuable Employee (MVE) Awards during the Alltech Dairy School, held in early December in Green Bay, Wisconsin. Award recipients were: first place, Derek Dusek (center), pictured here with (left to right) Lee Kloeckner of AgPartners, Bailey Fagerland, Gabriella and Sue Dusek.

Nominated by Lee Kloeckner of AgPartners, Dusek had the desire to get involved on his family’s dairy farm early in life. At the age of 3, he would sneak out in the morning to help his father and grandfather do chores. As he got older, he could not wait to get home from school to help with farm activities and would try to convince the bus driver to drop him off at the field where they may have been working at the time. When Dusek was in high school, he and his father, Mark, began to make plans to build a new parlor and grow their dairy herd.

In the fall of 2018, Mark was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. During his father’s medical treatment, Derek was forced to take on additional challenges and overcome limited labor availability. When Mark passed away on Aug. 30, 2019, Derek was faced with a decision to quit farming or carry on his father’s legacy.

Choosing to do what he loved, Dusek began to rebuild the herd. In February 2022, the family leased a nearby dairy facility with a parlor and freestall barn and are now milking about 160 cows. Derek has become the father figure to his 14-year-old sister and works closely with his brothers to complete the day-to-day tasks on the farm.

Kloeckner said Derek’s perseverance and excellence compelled him to nominate Dusek for the Alltech award.

“He went from working with his father to being the person in charge; Derek does it all,” Kloeckner said.

“Dairy farmers face many challenges, and in situations such as Derek’s, they must wake up the next morning and continue to milk cows even after losing a loved one,” said Jorge Delgado, manager of the Alltech Training, Talent Development and Retention Program for Dairy Workers.

Other finalists

The other finalists honored during the Alltech Dairy School included Angel Sánchez and Estela Melenudo of Zirbel Dairy Farm, DePere, Wisconsin, nominated by Kris and Chelsea Scheider; and Mitch Guyette of Norm-E-Lane Dairy, Chili, Wisconsin, nominated by Jim Barmore of GPS Dairy Consulting.

Second place, Angel Sánchez and Estela Melenudo of Zirbel Dairy Farm, DePere, Wisconsin.Sánchez and Melenudo joined Zirbel Dairy Farm during the beginning phases of a farm transition and expansion. Since then, Sánchez has excelled in areas of animal health, worker relations, parlor troubleshooting and equipment maintenance. Melenudo’s specialty is stockmanship, managing individual cows and cow groups. Together, they’ve grown to become the foundation for the dairy’s past 15 years of success.

“While all of those things make them worthy of this honor, their humble dedication, care and devotion to the farm is unwavering,” the Scheiders said in their nomination form. “They have persevered with us through expansions, labor issues, animal health crises and bad weather – all while hardly missing a day of work.”

Third place, Mitch Guyette of Norm-E-Lane Dairy, Chili, Wisconsin. Photos courtesy of Alltech.

Joining Norm-E-Lane Dairy as a cattle feeder out of college, Guyette exhibited a strong desire for learning and involvement. His responsibilities have grown to include managing and operating the feeding center for the 2,300-cow dairy.

“Along with his desire to learn and always better himself, Guyette is very conscientious about his performance, the herd’s performance and the team he works with,” Barmore said. “His caring, positive and respectful personality, along with being an effective communicator, makes him a great team member. He is a powerful example for all of us for his dedication and perseverance.”

“The best employees add value to the dairy by thriving in their roles, maintaining their responsibilities, creating a safe and positive work environment for their co-workers and speaking highly of their employers, both on and off the farm,” Delgado said. “When dairy farms and their employees develop long-term relationships and celebrate each other’s hard work, everyone involved reaps valuable benefits.”