NDA Board & Staff
The Northwest Dairy Association board is elected by their farmer-peers to lead the cooperative and represent NDA's farmer-owners. The board and all cooperative member farms are supported by a field staff who provide farmers resources and information about business-wide issues. While all NDA co-op member farms are independently owned businesses, the cooperative supports innovation and improvement across our entire farm network.
NDA's Young Cooperators program is designed to support younger dairy farmers. Engaging young leaders is a strategy for building a bright and healthy future for the cooperative.
NDA Board of Directors
Representing NDA Farmers in Washington
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- Jeremy Visser
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- Tony Freeman, Vice Chairman
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- Jerry Van Dellen
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- Jason Sheehan
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- Mike Krainick
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- Mike Schoneveld
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- Case VanderMeulen
Representing NDA Farmers in Idaho
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- Allan Huttema, Chairman
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- David Silva
Representing NDA Farmers in Southwest Washington and Oregon
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- Tim Kuenzi
Representing NDA Farmers in Montana
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- David Lewis
Vice President NDA
Monty Schilter, VP of NDA
More About NDA
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Young Cooperators Program
History and Beginnings
The Young Cooperator (YC) Program was established in the early 1950s through the National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) as an organization for young dairy farmers. Supplementing the 4-H and FFA youth program, the YC Program continues education and leadership opportunities.
Eligibility
Northwest Dairy Association Young Cooperators is an organization made up of co-op members (individuals and couples) from the ages of 19 to 45 who are currently members of Northwest Dairy Association.
Purpose
The purpose of the program is to educate and build future co-op leaders and to gain a better understanding of how dairy cooperatives work with NMPF in developing national dairy policy. The program also provides its young members with the information and knowledge they need to better understand milk marketing and the cooperative’s operation and structure.
Objectives
- To better inform members of the function and role of cooperatives in milk marketing;
- To give members the opportunity to become involved in their cooperative’s activities by organizing, planning and directing meetings;
- To provide an opportunity to meet other young dairy people within their cooperative, thereby encouraging the sharing of ideas and experiences and discussions of solutions to common problems;
- To provide leadership roles for those members who choose to make such a commitment;
- To promote the dairy industry and the wholesomeness of dairy products;
- To develop a better understanding of how dairy cooperatives work with NMPF in developing national dairy policy.
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About the NDA Staff
There are 14 Northwest Dairy Association staff who support member-owners with resources, market information, milk quality testing, communications and by serving an interface with Darigold operations. The NDA team is built to share and drive best practices and adoption of progressive technologies across the NDA farm network.
NDA field managers, who are based regionally near the farms, support the farmer-owners as we strive to build a culture of continuous improvement. The field staff regularly visit each farm. NDA staff members also provide support for Board committees and regularly report back to the Board on key activities, such as milk quality and member applications.