The Center for Dairy Excellence and Dairy Excellence Foundation recently welcomed three dairy professionals to the organizations’ Board of Directors. The Center for Dairy Excellence Board of Directors guide the work of the non-profit 501c6 organization which fosters collaboration across the industry and provides resources to strengthen Pennsylvania dairy farms. The Dairy Excellence Foundation Board of Directors guide the work of the 501c3 charitable organization focused on cultivating and empowering dairy’s next generation.
Amanda Biddle, a dairy producer from Williamsburg, Pa., was elected to the Center for Dairy Excellence Board during the December 2021 Board meeting. Biddle filled an open position, which was vacated by Mark Mosemann who reached the two-consecutive term maximum set by the organization’s bylaws.
“I joined the board with the hopes to learn even more about the dairy industry and to try to give valuable insight from a farmer’s point of view,” Biddle shared. “I think it’s crucial for people to be involved so that we continually grow in knowledge for the dairy industry.”
Biddle and her husband, Josh, milk 475 cows and farm 660 acres at Mill Hill Farms. She is an integral part of the farm and manages the herd health program, breeding and oversees the calf management. She also manages the bookkeeping for the farm. Biddle helps promote dairy and agriculture on the farm’s social media platforms while organizing on-farm events for more than 400 people. Biddle is active in the Maryland & Virginia Milk Producers Young Cooperator Program.
Kirk Sattazahn, from Premier Select Sires and Womelsdorf, Pa., also joined the Center for Dairy Excellence Board during the December 2021 Board meeting. Sattazahn filled an open sales and service position, which was vacated by Jeff Ainslie from Lancaster, Pa.
Sattazahn is the vice president of marketing and development at Premier Select Sires, which is one of six member cooperatives forming Select Sires, Inc. Premier covers the eastern part of the United States. In addition to his role at Premier, Sattazahn is also a freelance feature writer for Hoard’s Dairyman and is the author of the 50-year history of Select Sires called “The Elevation of an Industry.”
“I am excited to join the board because this organization truly works hard to bring all of the different aspects of the Pennsylvania dairy industry together to achieve more than what would be possible working individually. Those synergies help educate all of the dairy stakeholders in PA on what is valued and how we can each play our role in making Pennsylvania’s dairy industry successful,” Sattazahn said. “Pennsylvania dairy has a lot going for it in clean, available water, fertile land, and people with a tremendous work ethic. It is exciting to be part of a group that strives to help outsiders and current participants realize those advantages and why they should invest in Pennsylvania’s dairy industry.”
The Center’s Board of Directors must agree to serve a three-year term and may be re-elected for an additional term. The Board was developed to represent multiple aspects of the dairy industry, with seats for dairy farmers, allied industry professionals, marketing cooperative employees, veterinarians, retail representatives, processor representatives, and members from the Pennsylvania General Assembly.
The new member elected to the Dairy Excellence Foundation’s Board of Directors includes Alex Brubaker from Fulton Bank and Lancaster, Pa. He filled an open position vacated by Kevin Peter of Media, Pa.
“The biggest draw for me to join the Dairy Excellence Foundation board was working with youth and the forward-looking mission of the board. We need to make sure we are training and educating the next generation of dairy professionals and dairy consumers,” Brubaker said. “In my short time with the board, the commitment to this is apparent and it is very exciting to be on this board.”
Brubaker is Vice President and Team Leader with Fulton Bank’s Agricultural Financial Services Group. In his current position, he manages a team of Agricultural Lenders that cover Southeastern Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware and New Jersey. In this role and previous roles, he has assisted many dairy clients with a variety of financing needs which included expansion and transition of farms. Brubaker grew up on a small farm in Lancaster.
More information about the organizations’ Board of Directors can be found here.
Provided by: Center for Dairy Excellence