American Dairy Mideast Directors Set

15-member board sets policy, approves programs

The American Dairy Association Mideast Board of Directors consists of 15 elected dairy farmers representing cooperative and independent producers. The Board also appoints one non-voting advisory director representing dairy processors and manufacturers. The 2019 Board of Directors are:

• Bill Besancon
  Wooster, Ohio
• Donald Bickel
  New Vienna, Ohio
• Rob Bouic
  Milford Center, Ohio
• Greg Conrad, Treasurer
  New Holland, Ohio
• Greg Gibson
  Bruceton Mills, W.Va.
• Larry Griffith
  Bethel, Ohio
• Robert Hartline
  Marietta, Ohio
• Mark Hoewischer, Secretary
  Mechanicsburg, Ohio
• Lee Kohler
  Baltimore, Ohio
• Axel Lundstrom, Advisory Director
  Minster, Ohio
• Joe Miley
  West Salem, Ohio
• Charles Moellendick II, Vice Chair
  Pleasantville, Ohio
• Heidi Rennecker
  Smithville, Ohio
• Robert Sprunger
  Dalton, Ohio
• Earl Stitzlein, Chair
  Loudonville, Ohio
• John Wuebker
  St. Henry, Ohio

The board members set policy and approve program direction and budgets to help increase sales and demand for dairy products and protect the image of dairy foods and farmers. Programs focus on building trust and sales in dairy foods, creating lifelong dairy consumers, and advancing innovation through partnerships with industry leaders.

ADA Mideast is one of 16 state and regional dairy-farmer funded promotion organizations that work with Dairy Management Inc., which manages the national dairy checkoff program and is funded by the United Dairy Industry Association (UDIA) and the National Dairy Promotion and Research Board (NDB).

The ADA Mideast Board of Directors re-appointed Chair Stitzlein and re-elected Board Member Mark Hoewischer of Mechanicsburg, Ohio, to serve as directors to UDIA, the federation of state and regional dairy farmer-funded promotion organizations that provides marketing programs developed and implemented in coordination with its members.

Ohio and West Virginia dairy farmers are represented on the NDB by ADA Mideast Board Member Greg Gibson of Bruceton Mills, W.Va., who was appointed by USDA. The 38-member NDB, formed 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.

The ADA Mideast Board of Directors also re-appointed Axel Lundstrom of Dannon Company, Inc., Minster, Ohio, to serve as their non-voting advisory director and represent Ohio’s dairy processing and manufacturing community.