Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced the appointment of 14 new members to the National Dairy Promotion and Research Board, including Joe Kelsay, a dairy farmer from Whiteland, Ind. Kelsay and his family run a dairy and crop farm on land granted to family by President Martin Van Buren in 1837. Kelsay is senior manager of Biotechnology Affairs at DowAgro Sciences. He was formerly the director of the Indiana State Department of Agriculture.
Leaders of Dairy Management Inc. ™ (DMI), the National Dairy Promotion and Research Board (NDB) and the United Dairy Industry Association (UDIA) also recently elected the following dairy producers as officers. The elections were held during the 2013 annual meeting of NDB, UDIA and the National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF).
DMI officers:
- Chair – Paul Rovey, Glendale, Ariz.
- Vice Chair – Harold Howrigan, Sheldon, Vt.
- Secretary – Skip Hardie, Lansing, N.Y.
- Treasurer – Larry Hancock, Muleshoe, Texas
DMI, which manages the national dairy checkoff program, is funded by the NDB and UDIA, which serves as the federation of state and regional dairy checkoff-funded promotion organizations.
NDB officers:
- Chair – Kenton Holle, Mandan, N.D.
- Vice Chair – Zach Myers, Jonesville, N.C.
- Secretary – Marilyn Hershey, Cochranville, Pa.
- Treasurer – Ray Prock, Denair, Calif.
The 38-member National Dairy Board, formed in May 1984 under the authority of the Dairy Production Stabilization Act of 1983, carries out coordinated promotion and research programs to help build demand and expand domestic and international markets for dairy products.
UDIA officers:
- Chair – Neil Hoff, Windthorst, Texas
- 1st Vice Chair – Ryan Anglin, Bentonville, Ark.
- 2nd Vice Chair, American Dairy Association® (ADA) – Tom Woods, Gage, Okla.
- 2nd Vice Chair, National Dairy Council® (NDC) – Jerry Messer, Richardton, N.D.
- 2nd Vice Chair, UDIA Member Relations – Paul Broering, St. Henry, Ohio
- Secretary – Steve Frischknecht, Manti, Utah
- Treasurer – Allen Merrill, Parker, S.D.
The UDIA is a federation of state and regional dairy producer-funded promotion organizations that provide marketing programs that are developed and implemented in coordination with its members. The UDIA is overseen by a board comprised of dairy producers elected by their respective boards of their member organizations.