Location: Conway, Missouri Your agricultural background: My wife, Courtney, and I are partners with my parents on our dairy. We milk 70 registered Brown Swiss and Holsteins as well as raise all of our forages on 500 acres.

If I were not a dairyman … I would be a row-crop farmer.

I have been a member of DFA since … I bought my first cows when I was in high school.

Why did you join DFA? It is a very strong cooperative and I can rest easy that I have a reliable place for my milk to go.

A little-known fact about this organization is … that people there work very hard to treat small producers and large producers the same.

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What DFA does best is ... it has a commitment to dairy producers to work with the processors to be able to give the producers the highest pay they can.

I feel valued as a member when … I go to a meeting and the employees care about you and your concerns. They all know who they are working for and truly care about the farmer-owners.

An influential or interesting person I have met through this organization is … I don’t think I can pick just one. Being involved in the Young Cooperative program, I have had the opportunity to meet and network with so many producers just like myself. It’s amazing that no matter what part of the country we farm, we have so many of the same opportunities and challenges.

The dairy industry’s greatest opportunity is … the export market. Whether it’s California Gold milk going to China or exporting powders, we are going to rely more on exports than we ever have.

I hope my dairy legacy is … that I have left the farm and land better than it was when I started. I want my three kids to be able to continue to farm if they have the desire.

My advice to all dairymen/dairywomen is ... to be passionate about what you do and take pride in the wonderful product that we produce from one of God’s greatest creatures. PD

Dairy Farmers of America
10220 N. Ambassador Drive
Kansas City, MO 64153
(888) DFA-MILK

Members:Founded in 1998, DFA is owned by nearly 15,000 dairy farmers representing nearly 9,000 farms.

Mission:
DFA is a milkmarketing cooperative and dairy foods processor dedicated to delivering value to members through secure markets,competitive pricing and increasing value throughout the entire dairy chain.