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Middleton, Wisc. (May 5, 2025) - Foremost Farms USA today announced that Brenda Dehart, the cooperative’s current Chief Financial Officer, has been named President and Chief Executive Officer, effective immediately. Dehart will also continue to serve on the Executive Leadership Team.

This transition reflects a strong vote of confidence from both the Board of Directors and the Executive Leadership team in Dehart’s leadership and marks an exciting new chapter for the cooperative as it builds on recent momentum. Dehart’s appointment follows the departure of CEO Greg Schlafer.

“The Board of Directors is proud to name Brenda as our next CEO,” said Joel Eigenbrood, Chairman of the Board. “Brenda brings an authentic passion for delivering maximum value to our farmer-members. Since joining Foremost, she has earned the full trust and respect of the leadership team and has been instrumental in breaking down silos to drive stronger cross-functional collaboration. It’s inspiring to see the team rally around her leadership, and the Board is confident she is the right person to lead our cooperative into the future.”

Since joining Foremost Farms in February 2024, Dehart has played a pivotal role in stabilizing and strengthening the business. Her efforts to drive financial transparency, focused priorities to drive long-term growth across the cooperative, and enable greater cross-functional collaboration have already delivered measurable value to member farms.

A native of rural Illinois with roots in dairy farming, Dehart previously served as CFO at Edlong and held leadership roles at Sensient Technologies and Kerry Inc., managing complex businesses across finance, operations, and quality. She holds an MBA from the University of Phoenix and a bachelor’s degree in finance from Concordia University Wisconsin. Dehart also serves on the Board of Directors of Female Strong Chicago.

“I am deeply honored to lead this incredible organization,” said Dehart. “Foremost Farms has a proud heritage and a promising future, and I look forward to working side by side with our employees, members, and partners to create long-term value across the entire value chain.”

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ABOUT FOREMOST FARMS USA

Foremost Farms USA® is a dairy cooperative representing hundreds of Midwest dairy farmer members located across seven Midwest states, including Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio and Wisconsin – America’s Dairyland. It is one of the largest, leading dairy cooperatives in the United States and a major food manufacturing business.