The members of Professional Dairy Producers of Wisconsin (PDPW) elected one new individual to the board of directors and re-elected two individuals to the board. Linda White, Reedsburg, Wis., was elected to a three-year term on the board while Walter Meinholz, DeForest, Wis., and Keith York, Lake Geneva, Wis., were re-elected to their second three-year term.

White owns and operates Kinnamon Ridge Dairy in partnership with her husband Jerry and sons Nathan and Ryan. Over 32 years their family farm has gradually grown from 50 cows and 130 acres to 700 cows and approximately 1,000 acres. Linda returned to university and earned a B.S. degree in organizational management in 2001. She chaired her township's strategic planning committee, was a member of the Sauk County strategic planning committee and led successful efforts to write a county manure ordinance that is workable for farmers. Linda is currently chair of the Sauk County Board of Adjustment.

Meinholz of DeForest, Wis. is in partnership with his brothers Louie and Art and two of Louie's sons, Craig and Brian. Their dairy, which milks a total of 2,250 cows, has milking facilities located in DeForest, Arlington and Middleton. Walter is chairman of the Vienna Township planning committee and a past member of the Alto Dairy and Badgerland Financial boards of directors. Walter is presently on the PDPW board and chairman of the Vienna town planning committee.

York of Lake Geneva, Wis. dairies in partnership with his parents Walter and Mary York, brother Ken York and cousin John Tueting. The partnership owns a 1,350 cow dairy, farms 650 acres and raises all young stock until they are bred. A graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a degree in dairy science and an active FFA alumnus, Keith is a board member of the Wisconsin Beef Council, a delegate for Select Sires and a member of Wisconsin Farm Bureau.

These three join six other dairy producers who complete PDPW's nine-member board: Eric Hillan, Ladysmith, Wis.; Mark Diederichs, Malone, Wis.; Russel Strutz, Two Rivers, Wis.; Kevin Krentz, Berlin, Wis.; Charles Crave, Waterloo, Wis.; and Kay Zwald, Hammond, Wis.

PDPW also welcomes two new appointed advisors to the board: Roger Swigart, AgStar Financial Services, and Tom Vander Heiden, Cargill Animal Nutrition.

"As PDPW celebrates 20 years of producer leadership and involvement, we can definitely say that it is the producer leaders that have shaped the organization into what it is today-1,600 members in 18 states, every size and type of dairy operation," says Shelly Mayer, PDPW Executive Director. "The dairy industry can be proud that it has a vibrant, grassroots professional development organization led by this caliber of producers."

Professional Dairy Producers of Wisconsin is a dairy-producer founded organization that provides educational programs and services to fellow dairy producers. PDPW's mission is "to share ideas, solutions, resources, and experiences that help dairy producers succeed."

3.15.2012