Midwest Dairy Association, which manages the dairy checkoff for nine Midwest states, has re-elected a North Dakota dairy producer as its chairman. Jerry Messer, Richardton, N.D., was elected to the post during the group’s annual meeting, held in conjunction with a national dairy checkoff forum in Scottsdale, Ariz. Allen Merrill, Parker, S.D., was re-elected first vice chairman. Bill Siebenborn, Trenton, Mo., was re-elected second vice chairman. Two Minnesota dairy producers, Kay Henninger of Carlton and Jeff Fasching of Winsted, were re-elected as secretary and treasurer, respectively.

“In this challenging economic environment, it’s more important than ever that we have effective dairy promotion in place,” said Messer. “We need both short-term market activity and long-term growth of dairy sales and demand, and that’s exactly what the checkoff is focused on.”

Messer, Merrill and Siebenborn also represent Midwest Dairy Association on the board of United Dairy Industry Association, the national umbrella organization for the state and regional promotion groups. Dan Grunhovd, Gary, Minn., Pam Bolin, Clarksville, Iowa, and Norbert Schmidt, Readlyn, Iowa, also serve on the national board representing the Midwest group. They were elected to those positions last fall.