Ag Faces in the Crowd

CHS elects board members

CHS Inc. owners elected five board members to three-year terms during the cooperative's 2019 Annual Meeting held Dec. 5-6 in Minneapolis. CHS Inc. is the nation's largest cooperative and a leading global agribusiness company owned by farmers, ranchers and cooperatives across the United States.

Among those reelected to three-year terms is Mark Farrell, who operates a corn, soybean and wheat farm in Dane County, Wis.

Ramirez is Alltech Wisconsin MVE

Awarded on Thursday, Dec. 5, in Green Bay, Wisconsin, Marcos Ramirez with Larson Acres Dairy was honored with the Alltech Wisconsin 2019 Most Valuable Employee Award on Dec. 5.

“Marcos is so passionate, and he wants the farm to be successful,” said Sandy Larson, owner of Larson Acres Dairy. “I never doubt he’s going to do the best job possible. He is a great team player especially with the rest of his coworkers.”

Milk Specialties Global honored

Milk Specialties Global was recognized by Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal as a 2019 Large Manufacturer of the Year and will be featured in an upcoming Business of Manufacturing special feature.

The Business of Manufacturing awards recognize manufacturing companies and leaders in the industry that drive the region's economy and grow their businesses through innovation and strategic evolution.

The company was recognized for exceptional business growth, leadership in dairy protein exports, operational excellence, product innovation and focus on sustainability.

Durand joins Sand County Foundation

Sand County Foundation has named Bartlett Durand as its Director of Water Quality Partnerships. He joins Sand County Foundation to facilitate agreements that allow municipalities and utilities to achieve water quality goals by working with farmers and agriculture groups. 

Durand is an attorney and businessman with more than 20 years of experience in academic research, complex litigation, mediation, transactional work and contract work focused on business outcomes. He has started three successful businesses: an artisanal farm-based cheese line from his family’s dairy; a USDA-inspected meat processing business; and a retail butcher shop, The Conscious Carnivore.

Johnson to retire from NFU

After serving as president of the National Farmers Union for over a decade, Roger Johnson announced that he will not seek re-election next year. His current term will end at the NFU’s annual convention in March.

During his 11-year tenure, Johnson led efforts to fight corporate consolidation in the ag industry, help farmers adapt to and mitigate climate change, develop fair international trade agreements and more.

Johnson, a third generation farmer from Turtle Lake, ND, grew up in the Farmers Union, participating in the organization’s youth programs, serving as a county president and chairman of the board of a local Farmers Union cooperative.  

Neal is GM of CHS Larsen Coop

David Neal was appointed as general manager for CHS Inc.’s Wisconsin-based ag retail business, CHS Larson Cooperative. He started his new position on November 25.

Neal brings more than 25 years of experience in agribusiness, much of that in cooperative management positions. He was most recently with New Horizons Supply Cooperative. His background also includes work as a propane plant manager for CHS.

Heider, Stauffacher earn Key Award

Hannah Heider, of rural Lodi and Marin Stauffacher, of rural Columbus have been selected as the 2019 Columbia County Wisconsin 4-H Key Award recipients.

The prestigious 4-H Key Award, one of the highest recognitions a 4-H member can receive, honors a select group of 4-H participants annually – 2% of the county’s 4-H membership ages 14 and older. 

Heider, is and completed her first year as a Columbia County 4-H Ambassador. Stauffacher, is a member of the South Columbus Willing Workers 4-H club and participated a as a delegate to the National 4-H Congress and the National 4-H Conference.

Young Farmer and Ag Committee appointments

 Ben and Haily Sand purchased their farm, south of Menomonie, in 2018 and established Sand Grains, LLC in 2019. On the farm, the couple grows corn, soybeans, rye and fresh produce. In addition to their work on the farm, the couple holds off-farm jobs. 

Andrew DalSanto of Grant County and Ben and Haily Sand of Dunn County have been appointed to Wisconsin Farm Bureau’s Young Farmer and Agriculturist Committee by the organization’s Board of Directors. Their terms begin at the YFA Conference, December 6-8, in Wisconsin Dells.

DalSanto grew up on his family’s 100-acre farm on the Wisconsin-Illinois state line in South Beloit, Illinois. He works for the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection as the Feed, Fertilizer and Containment Unit Supervisor.

MOSES has new executive director

 The Board of Directors of the Midwest Organic & Sustainable Education Service (MOSES ) just announced the promotion of Lauren Langworthy to executive director.

MOSES is a nonprofit organization best known for running the country’s largest event on organic and sustainable agriculture, the annual MOSES Organic Farming Conference. 

Langworthy joined the MOSES staff in early 2015. As the nonprofit’s program director, she was responsible for managing the annual conference and overseeing special projects.

3 appointed to FB Promotion, Education committee

Krista Klinkner from Vernon County and Brittney Muenster from Outagamie County have been appointed to the Wisconsin Farm Bureau’s Promotion and Education Committee. Lynn Leahy from Portage County has been reappointed to this committee by the organization’s Board of Directors. Their terms begin at WFBF’s Annual Meeting and Young Farmer and Agriculturist Conference, December 6-9, in Wisconsin Dells.

Leahy is a research agronomist at Heartland Farms, Inc., a 9,000-acre farm growing potatoes for potato chips near Hancock. She has served as the Waushara County YFA chair and is president of the Tri-County FFA Alumni. Leahy was a member of Farm Bureau Institute Class VIII. 

Krista Klinkner is a fourth-generation dairy farmer from Vernon County. She earned degrees in chemistry and Spanish. She and her husband, Travis, own and operate Klinkner Dairy, LLC which they purchased from her family in 2015. She has previously assisted in judging the WFBF essay contest and Monroe County Fair Learn and Earn activities. 

Muenster is a graduate of UW-Madison’s Farm & Industry Short Course and fifth-generation farmer on her family’s 150-cow dairy in Seymour. The highlights of her seven-year Farm Bureau membership include attending the 2018 Washington, D.C. YFA Fly-In.

Committee members develop, implement and promote projects and programs which build awareness and understanding of agriculture and provide leadership development for the agricultural community.