Eric Hillan, President
Rusk Rose Holsteins, Ladysmith, Wis.

Ph: 715.532.6516
Email: ejhill@centurytel.net

Eric and Carol Hillan started dairy farming in 1982 by renting her parents’ farm. They bought that farm in 1986 and have slowly expanded the dairy since that time. Today, Eric and Carol own and operate their 250-cow dairy. Their son Evan is a sophomore at UW-Eau Claire majoring in business. Over the years Eric has been involved with Farm Bureau, church council, interns on our farm, PDPW Mentor Program, PDPW committees and the PDPW board of directors.

Mark Diederichs, Vice President
Lake Breeze Dairy, LLC, Malone, Wis.

Ph: 920.795.4266
Email: mark@lakebreezedairy.com

Mark is part owner and general manager of Lake Breeze Dairy, a multi-owner 3,000 cow dairy. Upon graduation from the Moraine Park Technical College Farm Business program, Mark, and his wife, Laurie, began milking with 50 cows. They continued to grow their dairy until creating Lake Breeze Dairy LLC in 2002, which expanded from 1,500 cows to 3,000 in 2005. Currently, Mark serves on the Ag Ambassador Committee for the Fond du Lac Area Agri-Business Council.

Russel Strutz, Secretary
Strutz Farm, Inc., Two Rivers, Wis.

Ph: 920.755.4040
Email: sfi@tm.net

When Russel joined his family’s farming operation, they milked 120 cows and cropped 750 acres. They have since grown to include 700 cows and 1,550 acres of land. Russel and his wife, Karen, have been married for 16 years, and they have four children, Nicole, 14, Meghan, 11, Ryan, 8, and Cameron, 4. In his spare time, Russel enjoys playing basketball and softball, as well as coaching basketball and soccer. He also enjoys watching their children play in their sporting events and going on family vacations.

Keith York, Treasurer
Merry Water Farm, Lake Geneva, Wis.

Ph: 262.903.6265
Email: kejyork@yahoo.com

Keith farms along with his brother Ken, cousin John Tueting, and his parents, Walter and Mary York. Keith and his family crop 750 acres and raise all of their own replacements. They currently milk 1,000 cows and plan to grow to 1,500 cows in 2011. Keith is a graduate of UW Madison with a degree in Dairy Science and has been involved FFA Alumni, 4-H as dairy leader, Select Sires as delegate and on various committees with Farm Credit, AMPI, and PDPW.

Walter Meinholz
Blue Star Dairy Farms, DeForest, Wis.

Ph: 608.846.4379
Email: bsdfarms@centurytel.net

Walter is in partnership with his brothers Louie and Art and two of Louie’s sons, Craig and Brian. Their farm consits of three milking facilities located in DeForest, Arlington and Middleton – milking a total of 2,250 cows. Walter has been involved in several agriculture organizations and currently serves on the boards of Badgerland Farm Credit Services and Alto Dairy Cooperative. He is also chairman of the Vienna Township planning committee. Walter and his family frequently host farm tours on educational seminars on their operation.

Doug Knoepke
More-To-Do-Farms, Durand, Wis.

Ph: 715.672.4348
Email: knoepke@nelson-tel.net

Doug and his wife Toni own and operate More-To-Do Farms, where they milk 600 cows. Their dairy team consists of Doug, general manager; Toni, manager/calf manager; Henry Yoder, herd manager/farm operation manager; Greg Knoepke, feed department supervisor and office/technology manager; Corey Knoepke, farm operation assistant/assistant herd manager; Miguel Hernandez, assistant herd manager/assistant calf manager; 1 assistant feeder and 5 milkers. The Knoepke's have three sons, with two working on the farm. Paul, their middle son, and his wife live in Weston, Wis.

Kevin Krentz
K & D Dairy, Berlin, Wis.

Ph: 920.361.1749
Email: krentz.kevin@gmail.com

Kevin is one of two partners who own and manage K & D Dairy, a 550-cow dairy near Berlin, Wis. Kevin returned to the dairy in 1993 after completing the Short-Course program in Madison. In 2006 he and long-time employee Dave Doolittle joined into a business partnership. Together they expanded the business from 350 to the current 550 Holsteins.

Charlie Crave
Crave Brothers LLC., Waterloo, Wis.

Ph: 920.478.3812
Email: Charles@cravecheese.com

Charlie and his brothers Tom and Mark own and operate Crave Brothers LLC, a Waterloo, Wis., dairy with 1,000 milking cows. Another brother, George, operates a cheese factory that produces specialty cheese. Crave Brothers LLC raise crops as well as its own heifers. Charlie has served as a 4-H club leader on the local, state and national levels for 30 years and is known for his insightful presentations related to dairying. He currently serves as a stakeholder for the USDA Dairy Forage Research Center and on the Waterloo Chamber of Commerce board of directors.

Kay Zwald
Bomaz Farms, Hammond, Wis.

Ph: 715.796.5510
Email: rfkz@centurytel.net

Kay Zwald and her husband Bob own and operate Bomaz Farms, Hammond, Wis., in partnership with Bob’s brother Greg and his wife. Bomaz Farms milks 600 registered Holsteins, raise its own young stock including bulls from the top 5% of the herd and has an extensive embryo program in place. The dairy also raises its own haylage, corn silage and corn on about 1,200 acres of cropland. Kay has been an integral part of a dairy promotion program in her county for many years and currently is a representative on the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board.

Joan Behr
Foremost Farms USA Cooperative, Baraboo, Wis.

Ph: 608.355.8812
Email: joan.behr@foremostfarms.com

Joan is responsible for the cooperative's internal and external communications, media relations, and corporate identity, and coordinates business-to-business marketing communications aimed at the cooperative's customers of cheese, butter and whey ingredients. She has been with the cooperative since 1985. In addition to being a PDPW advisor, Joan serves on the Wisconsin FFA Foundation's Marketing Committee.

Steve Bodart
Lookout Ridge Consulting

Ph: 715.688.6364
Email: steve.bodart@lookoutridgeconsulting.com

Steve is a senior agribusiness consultant and dairy industry leader for Lookout Ridge Consulting with  a deep understanding of the family dairy business and large producer operations. Previously,  he was CFO of Emerald Dairy, LCC, where he developed and managed several pieces of the operation and conducted direct consulting with select large dairy businesses. Prior to that,  Steve held the positions of dairy business trainer and dairy business specialist with Land O'Lakes, and livestock production specialist with the Co-op Equity Association, managing dairy rations and feed programs for Land O'Lakes.

Gary Sipiorski
Vita Plus Corporation

Ph: 608.250.4267
Email: gsipiorki@vitaplus.com

Gary has devoted his professional career to agriculture, including 20-plus years in the feed industry and 17 years as an agricultural loan officer where he served as President and CEO of the Citizens State Bank of Loyal. Today, Gary is part of the Vita Plus Corporation team, a 350-plus employee-owned nutrition firm based in Madison, Wis. A graduate of the University of Wisconsin-River Falls, Gary has served on the Board of Directors of the Wisconsin Rural Leadership Program, state and national director of the Independent Community Bankers of America and chair on the national agricultural committee and chaired the Governor’s Task Force on Growing Agriculture in Wisconsin. He is an emeritus member of the Board of Visitors advisory board for the University of Wisconsin-Madison College of Agriculture and Life Science and is on the advisory committee on Agriculture and Industry for the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago. Gary and his wife Linda have three adult children.

Dennis Frame
UW Discovery Farms

Ph: 715.983.5668
Email: drframe@wisc.edu

Born and raised in Pleasant Prairie, Wis., milking cows, raising steers and growing crops, Dennis earned degrees in dairy science and animal science with a minor in agricultural economics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison plus a Masters degree in ruminant nutrition. Dairying and working in county extension resulted in Dennis taking a special interest in nutrient management—its standards and the impacts of these rules and regulations on the state. He ultimately helped design and develop UW Discovery Farms program and has served as co-director since 2001. Today Dennis is involved in the day-to-day management of Discovery Farms as well as teaches and speaks at numerous field days and workshops throughout the state. Dennis and his family live on a small farm in northern Trempealeau County.

Shelly Mayer, Executive Director
Shelly is an authority on dairy industry education. She leads PDPW’s efforts to provide education-based programs that help dairy producers build more profitable businesses. In 2003, Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle appointed Shelly to the Department of Ag Trade and Consumer Protection board of directors. She was elected to the Center for Food Integrity executive committee in 2008. In her spare time, she works with her husband on their dairy operation. Shelly grew up on a dairy farm in southwestern Wisconsin and was involved in 4-H, FFA, and the Wisconsin Junior Holstein Association. Dairy youth activities remain an integral part of her work.
Email Shelly Mayer

Julie Gabris, Member Resource Manager
Julie’s roots in the dairy industry began on the family dairy farm in Dodge County, where she was born and raised. Her brother now operates the farm. Julie spent over 18 years at East Central Select Sires as telecommunications supervisor before coming to PDPW. In 1993, Julie joined the PDPW staff just one year after the organization was established and has been integral to our growth ever since. In her present position as member resource manager, Julie always has member needs top-of-mind and continually meets the goal of serving them. Julie is involved with her local FFA Alumni and enjoys camping and traveling with family and friends.
Email Julie Gabris

Kathy Muth, Program Manager
Kathy has been active in the dairy industry for over 25 years. She and her family operate their dairy farm in Washington County, where she once served as the county’s agriculture ambassador, providing educational programs for local schools and civic groups. Prior to joining PDPW, Kathy was director of educational services for Stewart-Peterson, Inc. for 13 years, working with both secondary and post-secondary agriculture education departments across the country. Kathy is passionate about the dairy industry and is committed to bringing superior educational programs to the dairy industry, helping both the individual and their businesses grow and capture success. Kathy enjoys antiquing, traveling and time spent with friends and family.
Email Kathy Muth