Outgoing Dairy Business Association (DBA) President Lee Kinnard welcomed more than 400 people to the Dairy Strong conference on Jan. 16 in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
The conference featured two keynote presentations and multiple breakout sessions focused on a broad range of topics from sustainability to policy.
FMMO announcement
It also provided the stage for the announcement of the passing of the Federal Milk Marketing Order (FMMO) referendum in each of the 11 FMMOs.
During a breakout session on Federal Dairy Policy Outlook, Dana Coale, deputy administrator for USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service, shared the outcome of the producer vote and that the final rule with FMMO updates would be published in the Federal Register the following day.
Heidi Fischer, newly-elected president of Edge Dairy Farmer Cooperative, said the cooperative’s members, board and staff have remained closely engaged in the FMMO reform process, from submitting producer testimonials to advocating for change that positively affects producers.
“We are encouraged by this positive outcome that the vitality and importance of federal orders remains,” Fischer said during a press conference at Dairy Strong. “And while there is always more to do to keep the orders relevant and purposeful, at this juncture we are encouraged that the FMMO will continue to provide the market stability needed for both producers and processors.”
Change and innovation
Change happens everywhere. “If you can’t keep up and posture your organization in a mode where it’s ready to be adaptable, you are going to fall behind,” Jeff Eggers said in the opening keynote address.
“Humans have a natural kind of repulsion to change,” he added, noting senior leaders can often be the most resistant to change in an organization.
Eggers, a former Navy SEAL, served as a special assistant to the president for national security affairs for six years in both the George W. Bush and Barack Obama administrations. He is now a senior adviser and partner at the McChrystal Group and co-author of Leaders: Myth and Reality.
He pulled from observations throughout his career to outline what makes a highly innovative organization.
Most businesses function with a structure of hierarchy, yet Eggers finds decentralization as a key factor in innovation.
“The most innovative organizations are the ones that are least dependent upon their leaders,” Eggers said.
The goal is to combine a centralized vision with decentralized execution. “That’s where true innovation comes from,” he said.
Dominating leaders can let their ego get in the way of innovation and can create a culture where team members are afraid to speak up and share ideas.
The best leaders have humility; they listen and are responsive to context.
“Psychological safety is the idea that [anyone in] your organization should feel safe to speak up. They dissent, they disagree, they take contrary views. They’re not afraid to fail,” Eggers said.
At the same time, team members need to be held accountable to metrics that allow the organization to win and succeed.
“You have to find a way to create both. And that’s one of the many reasons why I think leading innovation is so hard is this is in tension with itself,” Eggers said. “That makes it hard, but it also makes it powerful.”
Federal policy
In mid-January, the conference was held just prior to the inauguration of President Donald Trump. The final keynote presentation looked at what’s in store for federal policies in 2025 under the new administration, particularly immigration, trade, tax reform, regulatory structure and a new farm bill.
Chuck Conner, president and CEO of the National Council of Farmer Cooperators, and Michael Torrey, president of the Torrey Advisory Group, a bipartisan consulting group focused on farm and ag issues, addressed these topics and their impact on agriculture.
In terms of immigration, they both agreed Trump is looking for a “win” in border control, and immigration reform probably won’t be discussed until that happens.
The 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which was a major tax code overhaul, included many reforms that are set to expire at the end of 2025.
“I would describe this as probably the issue of our decade, if you will. It was that significant,” Conner said. “There is 4 to 5 trillion dollars in new taxes that is going to come out of all of our pockets at the end of this year unless Congress acts.”
“I think it’s doable, but it’s only doable with the bipartisan vote,” Torrey said.
Conner added that Congress might contemplate adding a larger bill, like a farm bill, into this scenario to draw in more votes.
On the topic of regulations, Conner said, “I think you’ll see a lot of regulatory reform, for example, in the EPA space and endangered species.”
They both stated some fear in removing regulations pertaining to food safety and the Food and Drug Administration.
“I think that we’re just going to continue to have to do our best to try to state the facts and try to keep these guys from regulating or legislating on sound bites instead of sound science,” Torrey said.
Awards
DBA honored Paul Fetzer of Fetzer Farms in Elmwood, Wisconsin, with the association’s Advocate of the Year Award for his contributions to Wisconsin’s dairy community.
Paul Fetzer. Image courtesy of DBA.
This award honors farmers who excel in managing their farms while actively engaging with their local communities and taking on agricultural leadership roles.
Fetzer and his wife, Char, farm alongside his brothers, Steve and Joe. From hosting Breakfast on the Farm to offering farm education tours for numerous groups and students, the Fetzer family believes time spent within the local community is well worth the commitment. Fetzer has also participated in a variety of agricultural leadership roles, serving nine years on the DBA board of directors and 11 years on the Ag Partners Co-op board of directors.
DBA, in collaboration with Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin, honored Duane Ducat of Deer Run Dairy with the association’s second annual Community Outreach Award. This award recognizes farmers who are active in their community and share the stories and positive messages of dairy farms and products.
Duane Ducat. Image courtesy of DBA.
Ducat farms in Kewaunee, Wisconsin, with partners Derek Ducat and Dale Bogart. Their farm prioritizes sustainability for the benefit of their community, the farm and future generations to come.
As a founding member and the current president of Peninsula Pride Farms, a farmer-led watershed conservation group, Ducat is passionate about improving the environment and protecting natural resources. He’s also an active member of Farmers for Sustainable Food and participates in various data-driven sustainability projects.
Deer Run Dairy is a frequent host of farm tours for anyone from local community members to government officials.
25th anniversary
To close out the event, leaders of DBA took to the stage to celebrate the organization’s 25th anniversary.
“Twenty-five years is a pretty incredible accomplishment for any organization, for any entity that not only survives but thrives and has done the great things for the dairy community that the Dairy Business Association has done,” Kinnard said.
Retiring DBA president Lee Kinnard was joined on stage by some of the Dairy Business Association’s leaders to highlight the organization’s achievements and the many people who played a part in it over the past 25 years. Image courtesy of DBA.
Greg Steele, an original board member, recounted the origins of DBA to a small group of producers that wanted an organization that would speak on behalf of CAFO-permitted dairies to elected officials, state and national agencies, and other farm organizations.
They organized a board of directors and included agribusiness and corporate members to gain from their insight and experience.
Over the next 25 years, this group – influenced by a great number of individuals – made an impact in the areas of livestock facility siting legislation, animal welfare issues, roads, vegetative treatment areas, covered calf facilities, immigration and labor, permitting and producer-led watershed initiatives, to name a few.
It also helped create and launch the Edge Dairy Farmer Cooperative, Farmers for Sustainable Food Initiative and Voice of Milk.
“So these giants of the industry, as they came together to form [DBA], not only cast a vision, but they set the momentum, and they set the path forward in a way that we have a great future in front of us,” Mike North, past president of DBA, concluded.
Organization updates
Edge Dairy Farmer Cooperative
Heidi Fischer of Fischer-Clark Dairy in Hatley, Wisconsin, was elected president of Edge Dairy Farmer Cooperative. Fischer is a longstanding active member of Edge and previously served as Edge’s vice president.
Edge Dairy Farmer Cooperative board of directors. Image courtesy of DBA.
Fischer succeeds Brody Stapel of Double Dutch Dairy in Cedar Grove, Wisconsin, who retired from the board at the annual meeting.
Edge also elected two board members:
- Jay Stauffacher of Highway Dairy in Darlington, Wisconsin, was re-elected to the board after completing his first term.
- Christina Zuiderveen of Black Soil Dairy in northwest Iowa is a passionate agricultural advocate.
Other board members: Mike Crinion of Ash Grove Dairy, vice president; Jamie Witcpalek of Pagel’s Ponderosa Dairy, treasurer; Josh Meissner of Norm-E-Lane, secretary; Justin Peterson of Creamery Creek; Brady Janzen of Riverview; Mitch Davis of Davis Family Dairies; and dairy economist Dr. Marin Bozic, adviser.
Dairy Business Association
Greg Siegenthaler, vice president milk marketing, sustainability and sourcing for Grande Cheese in Fond Du Lac, Wisconsin, was elected president of the Dairy Business Association (DBA). Siegenthaler is a longstanding DBA member and previously served as the organization’s vice president.
Dairy Business Association board of directors. Image courtesy of DBA.
Siegnethaler succeeds Lee Kinnard, dairy farmer from Casco, Wisconsin, who term-limited out as president but remains as a board member.
The association also elected two producer members and one corporate member to the board:
- Duane Ducat, partner and manager of Deer Run Dairy in Kewaunee, Wisconsin.
- Steve Schalla, Bomaz Farms in Hammond, Wisconsin, was re-elected to the board.
- Amy Penterman of Vine Vest Partners LLC is an experienced crop insurance agent and farms in Thorp, Wisconsin, with her husband.
Outgoing board members include Steve Bodart of AgriGrowth Solutions and Kevin Collins of Collins Dairy in Greenleaf, Wisconsin.
Other DBA board members include: Travis Speirs of Shiloh Dairy, vice president; Chris Schneider of Nicolet Bank, treasurer; Spencer Frost of Frost Farms; Jesse Dvorachek of Wayside Dairy and Lee Kinnard of Kinnard Farms.
Farmers for Sustainable Food
Farmers for Sustainable Food (FSF) elected three directors to its board, including one farmer-led group director and two general member directors:
- John VandenBoom, the new farmer-led group director, has been familiar with FSF through his involvement with the Calumet County Ag Stewardship Alliance, a farmer-led watershed conservation group.
- Drew Kessler, principal and environmental sector lead at Houston Engineering Inc. in Minnesota, has been involved with FSF for several years, supporting the implementation of FSF’s farmer-led sustainability projects through data analysis.
- Dr. Paul Rapnicki of Grande Cheese Co. in Waunakee, Wisconsin, works directly with farms that supply milk to their plant and is actively involved with Grande’s farm-level sustainability strategies. Rapnicki will hold the position of board secretary.
Farmers for Sustainable Food board of directors. Image courtesy of DBA.
Outgoing board members include Todd Doornink of Western Wisconsin Conservation Council, Holly Bellmund of GLC Minerals and Lynn Thornton of Grande Cheese Co.
Other board members: Paul Cornette of Peninsula Pride Farms, president; Mike Berget, Lafayette Ag Stewardship Alliance, vice president; Lee Kinnard of Kinnard Farms, treasurer; Mark Loehr of Sheboygan River Progressive Farmers; Holly Jones of Agropur; and Bryan Stanek of Compeer Financial.
