SPRING 2025
Photo: CentralStar Laboratory Technician Alyssa Deimel processes the first milk samples from a former-HOA herd.
CentralStar grows DHI:
Welcoming Heart of America DHIA producers C
entralStar’s growing its DHI and milk-analysis services, again, this time welcoming dairy producers across the Heart of America (HOA) DHIA region. Following a unanimous vote by HOA members to dissolve their organization, producers in Kansas, Arkansas, Colorado, Nebraska, Iowa, Oklahoma, Missouri, Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota can move to CentralStar. Effective March 3, 2025, this transition extends CentralStar’s reach to more than 2,070 farms and 700,000 cows across 15 states. "Our board and senior-management team recently worked together on a strategic vision for CentralStar. This transaction aligns with that vision and reinforces our ongoing commitment to supporting dairy producers and the industry,” said current board member and former Board President Paul Trierweiler. Both HOA and CentralStar use Dairy Records Management Systems (DRMS) for record processing, meaning producers continue to receive the same reports. Milk-sample processing has shifted to CentralStar’s Kaukauna, Wis., laboratory, which handles more than 4.2 million samples, annually. The lab is equipped with advanced-diagnostic tools, including infrared spectroscopy, flow cytometry, enzyme-linked immunoassay (ELISA), and polymerase chain reaction (PCR). These techniques allow CentralStar to analyze milk for key components such as butterfat, protein, somatic cell count, solids-non-fat, milk urea nitrogen, and indicators of health like Johne’s disease, bovine viral diarrhea, mastitis, as well as, A1/A2 and pregnancy.
CentralStar has a long history of innovation in milk diagnostics. It led the way in developing milk-based diagnostic testing, from the first Johne’s milk ELISA in 2000 to the now-widely-used milkpregnancy test developed in collaboration with IDEXX in 2011. More recently, CentralStar researchers introduced new diagnostics for bovine leukosis virus, A1/A2, and mastitis-causing organisms. Since 2000, CentralStar has grown into the largest DHI affiliate in the U.S. and the largest DRMS member. “CentralStar’s passion is providing tools to help our customers enhance profitability,” said Director of DHI Kevin Haase. “We’re excited about the expanded services and support CentralStar will provide this new region.”
CentralStar DHI now serving 15 states!