The Wisconsin Ready Mixed Concrete Association (WRMCA) recently announced its selections for the 40^th Annual Concrete Design Awards. MSA Professional Services, Inc. (MSA) of Baraboo was chosen to receive an award in the Agricultural category for its manure storage project at Blue Star Dairy Farms in DeForest, Wisconsin.

From left: Craig Meinholz & Sheri Meinholz (Blue Star Dairy), Josh Jankowski (Advanced Concrete) & Andy Skwor (MSA)

The Concrete Design Awards are part of the organization’s prestigious program showcasing the best uses of ready-mixed concrete in Wisconsin and Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. The award program recognizes excellence in a variety of categories, with judging criteria including design and best-use, engineering design skills, unique design demands, project aesthetics, construction techniques, percentage of ready-mixed concrete used and use of ready-mixed concrete in relation to site challenges and landscape design. Winners are determined by a panel of Wisconsin/Upper Michigan construction professionals.

MSA served as agricultural engineer for the Blue Star Dairy Farms project, which included the design and construction of a new 8-million-gallon vertical wall storage tank to replace one of the dairy’s deteriorating storage facilities. The new tank is approximately 95,000 square feet in size and utilized approximately 2,700 cubic yards of ready-mix concrete. This is a marked increase in storage capacity for Blue Star Dairy and allows farm operators to continue to be efficient nutrient managers.

In addition to MSA, the WRMCA award recognizes Blue Star Dairy Farms as the project owner, Ace Concrete of South Wayne as the project contractor, and Advanced Concrete of Waunakee as the Ready Mix Supplier. All award winners were formally announced and recognized at the 40^th Annual Concrete Design Awards Ceremony February 3, 2022, in Wisconsin Dells.