FARMER John Stevenson's dairy herd is the creme de la creme when it comes to milk production.
His 100 Holstein and Friesian cows at Highfields Farm, Loftus, east Cleveland, are among the premier First Milk producing herds in the country.
And the farmer has certificates to prove it.
The family firm of John Stevenson and Sons, has received the 2005 Quality Award from First Milk, the farmer-owned dairy business, which has more than 3,500 dairy farmer members producing more than 2.2 billion litres of milk annually.
A spokeswoman for First Milk said the award reflects not only the consistent high compositional quality of the milk produced at Highfields Farm, but also the hard work and dedication of Mr Stevenson and his team.
Peter Stevenson, of John Stevenson and Sons, said: "We have always taken great pride, and have given much care to the way we manage our cows.
"We at Highfields Farm are very pleased to receive this award as a way of recognising our attention to detail in producing top-quality milk."
The family business received a trophy and certificate from First Milk.
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