KANSAS CITY, Mo. — At Dairy Farmers of America’s 14th annual meeting, the cooperative unveiled a new tagline, “More Cooperative,” that officials say underscores a commitment to delivering more resources for members, more quality for customers and more leadership in the industry.
More than 1,300 members and industry guests convened in Kansas City for the meeting.
Tagline
“More Cooperative will mean different things to different people,” said Randy Mooney, chairman of DFA’s board of directors, whose chairman’s report led the meeting agenda.
“To our customers, it means more quality and more value, and in our industry it means more leadership. To members, it means more resources, more markets, more services and more security. We’re all members of DFA for different reasons, but we’re all looking to get more value out of our cooperative.”
The annual president’s report, delivered by President and CEO Rick Smith, recapped the cooperative’s business during the past year. Smith also detailed DFA’s 10 strategic initiatives.
Members of Distinction
At the annual banquet, the 2012 Members of Distinction were introduced. Each year, the cooperative honors member farms from each of DFA’s seven regional Areas that are excelling on their operations, in their communities and in the industry.
The 2012 honorees are: Miller Dairy, Hutchinson, Kan.; Alpine Hills Swiss Farm, Dry Ridge, Ky.; Morgan Ranches, Circleville, Utah; R.A. Bell & Sons Dairy, Hampstead, Md.; Edgewood Dairy, Purdy, Mo.; El Dorado Dairy, Clovis, N.M.; and W&J Bylsma Dairy, Oakdale, Calif.
Scholarships. The 2012 scholarship recipients also were announced at the banquet.
This year’s 19 recipients receiving a combined total of $19,750 are: Mikayla Conrad, New Holland, Ohio; Jacob Dueppengiesser, Perry, N.Y.; Jessica Hammerand, Epworth, Iowa; Maggie Harding, State College, Pa.; Ashlie Hardy, Farmington, Maine; Emily Jackson, Waco, Texas; April Johnson, Heron Lake, Minn.;
Isaac Jones, Centre, Ala.; Natalie Laubner, Mandan, N.D.; John Long Jr., Amherst, Texas; Calvin Patten, Alexander, N.Y.; Emma Reeves, Dublin, Va.; Wesley Robinson, Laurens, S.C.; Austin Schmitz, Axtell, Kan.; Annie Specht, Bryan, Texas; Matthew Sweeney, Appleton, N.Y.; Ariel Waldeck, Upton, Ky.; Helen Wick, Stilwell, Okla.; and Kai Yuan, Manhattan, Kan.
Board directors
In addition, outgoing board directors were recognized for their contributions to the cooperative during the banquet.
They are Tom Croner, Berlin, Pa.; Greg Mitchell, Pecos, Texas; Clyde Rutherford, Clarksburg, N.J.; and Sandy Stauffer, Nicholville, N.Y.
During the business session, Donald Smith of Loretto, Ky., who was elected to fill the board position vacated by Croner, was formally seated. Several directors who were re-elected to represent their areas also were confirmed.
Jeff Raney of Adamsville, Pa., was previously elected by the Mideast Area Council to succeed Croner as chairman; he also will serve as a member of DFA’s executive committee.
