Select Sires

SMS Evaluator of the Year Named

Chuck Harmon, Armada, Mich., SMS™ Evaluator of the Year

PLAIN CITY, Ohio, June 9, 2004 — Chuck Harmon, Armada, Mich., was awarded Select Sires’ 2004 Select Mating Service™ (SMS™) Evaluator of the Year honor. He was recognized at Select Sires annual evaluator’s conference, which was held in Stephenville, Texas, where over 80 fellow employees and dairy producers from six countries were present to witness the honors.
SMS Evaluator of the Year award is given to an individual who has proven themselves by providing years of superior service, maintaining successful relationships with dairy producers and providing a history of high-quality evaluations.

"Chuck sets the standard for all other SMS evaluators," states Lon Peters, vice president dairy sire products services, Select Sires. "He quietly does his job, maintains high-quality work and has always been able to stay on top of the technological changes over the years. With these qualities, I’m proud to name Chuck Harmon Evaluator of the Year."

Raised on a dairy farm in Macomb County, Mich., Harmon began his career with NorthStar Cooperative, a member of the Select Sires federation, in 1963 as an A.I. technician. By 1976 Harmon had taken a direct sales route in eastern Michigan, in 1990 added SMS responsibilities to his job and became a full-time SMS evaluator in 1994.

Since becoming a SMS evaluator Harmon has made over 376,527 cow matings and over 56,635 heifer matings, which account for 2,682 herd visits. In addition to his success, Harmon also has been a friend and consultant to many dairy producers in Michigan and Indiana that value his expertise and dedication to the industry.

Harmon and his wife Sharon are the proud parents of five children and five grandchildren. In addition to his duties at NorthStar Cooperative, Harmon is active with the Armada local fair and enjoys working on his farm with a small beef herd.

Since 1973, Select Mating Service has provided dairy producers with a labor saving, user-friendly approach to mating programs. Professional SMS evaluators work with herd managers to understand breeding objectives, evaluate each animal individually, and use research and computerized analysis to develop matings. In 2003, SMS evaluators made more than 3 million mating recommendations as a value-added service for thousands of herd owners.

Based in Plain City, Ohio, Select Sires Inc., is a federation of 10 farmer-owned and -controlled cooperatives. It provides highly fertile semen as well as excellence in service and programs to achieve its basic objective of supplying livestock breeders with America's best genetics at a reasonable price.

™Select Mating Service and SMS are trademarks of Select Sires Inc.

Select Sires Inc., 11740 U.S. 42 North, Plain City, Ohio 43064 / Phone: (614) 873-4683 Fax: (614) 873-5751