More congratulations are due to Colorado dairyman Les Hardesty, for being elected chairman of the U.S. Dairy Export Council. Hardesty will fill the seat made vacant by Tom Camerlo’s unexpected passing last fall.
Hardesty is the third elected chairman in the organization’s history, following Elwood Kirkpatrick (1995-2004) and Tom Camerlo (2004-2009). Paul Rovey has served as interim chairman since Camerlo’s passing.
Hardesty milks 700 cows on the Painted Prairie Dairy in Greeley, Colo., and also owns the smaller showcase Cozy Cow Dairy educational facility. Hardesty is chairman of the Mountain Area Region of Dairy Farmers of America and of the National Dairy Council, and serves on the board of National Milk Producers Federation and United Dairy Industry Association. He has been an active member of the USDEC board for the last seven years.
“USDEC is a great organization managed by quality people with incredible support from the membership,” Hardesty said. “As incoming chair, I have an opportunity to continue the tradition of helping influence how U.S. dairy reaches our worldwide customers and consumers.”
He will preside over the 94-member organization, which is made up of U.S. dairy producers, proprietary processors and cooperatives, ingredient suppliers, export traders and industry affiliates. The group is focused on market development, resolving market access barriers and advancing the industry’s trade policy goals, supported by the dairy check-off, U.S. Department of Agriculture funding and membership dues.
Source: DairyFoods.com
Photo Credit: Dairy Farming Today