The Professional Dairy Producers of Wisconsin (PDPW) have a new slate of officers to lead its 1,500-plus members. At its first meeting following its Annual Business Conference in mid March, PDPW Board of Directors elected Doug Knoepke, More-To-Do Farms, Durand, Wis., to serve as president; Eric Hillan, Rusk Rose Holsteins, Ladysmith, Wis; vice president; Marion Barlass, Barlass Jersey Farms, Janesville, Wis; secretary; and Walter Meinholz, Blue Star Dairy, DeForest, Wis, treasurer.
Other PDPW Board members include Mark Diederichs, Lake Breeze Dairy, Malone; Patty Endres, Endres Jazzy Jerseys, Lodi; Gary Ruegsegger, Maple Ridge Dairy Business, Stratford; and Keith York, Merry Water Farm, Lake Geneva. York and Meinholz were elected at the 2009 Annual Business Conference in mid March and are the newest members on PDPW’s Board.
“PDPW’s Board is strong and extremely focused on driving positive change within the industry and providing first-rate educational programs that help fellow dairy producers make stronger, well-informed decisions in their operations,” states Shelly Mayer, executive director of PDPW. “It will be quite exciting to see what educational programs, networking opportunities and other events this Board recommends be developed the coming year for the dairying community.”
In addition to having a dedicated Board of Directors, Mayer adds that PDPW relies significantly on grassroots membership involvement on a number of committees. Through these committees, members actively participate in program planning and lead valuable industry initiatives.
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.”