Chris Kayton, Michael Ten Clay join CPDA board of directors

The Central Plains Dairy Association (CPDA) welcomed two new leaders to its board of directors following the 2026 Central Plains Dairy Expo – Chris Kayton, Corporate Dairy Team dairy lender with Farm Credit Services of America in Omaha, Neb., and Michael Ten Clay, partner at VB&VV in Orange City, Iowa.

As members of the CPDA board, Kayton and Ten Clay will help guide the association’s mission to strengthen, support and advance the Central Plains dairy industry. Their leadership will play an important role in fostering continued growth, industry relevance and long-term vitality for dairy producers and allied businesses across the region.

Originally from Albion, Neb., Kayton earned a bachelor’s degree in finance from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and an MBA from the University of Texas A&M-Kingsville. A 15-year FCSAmerica veteran, he was first exposed to the dairy industry when he worked as an AgDirect territory manager and partnered with equipment dealers and local Farm Credit associations to finance farm equipment loans in Arizona and southern California. In 2018, Kayton returned to Nebraska and started his current role. His team focuses on providing financing for dairies with 1,500 cows or more. Kayton’s portfolio primarily includes dairies and dairy-related entities along the I-29 Corridor, Nebraska and Texas.

At VB&VV, Ten Clay specializes in serving dairy and feedlot clients, as well as related businesses across the Midwest and Central Plains with their accounting needs. His expertise lies in tax planning and preparation, income and cash flow projections, and financial statement preparation. Ten Clay plays a key role in leading VB&VV’s ag services team, which generates accrual financial statements for clients in the beef, dairy, row crop and swine industries. He is passionate about supporting his clients and enjoys guiding them through ownership changes, expansions and all stages of their business cycles.

The Central Plains Dairy Association extends its sincere appreciation to outgoing board members Michael Reecy and Kari Jungemann for their dedicated service, leadership and commitment to the Central Plains dairy industry. Their contributions helped support CPDA’s mission and provided strategic guidance in growing the Central Plains Dairy Expo event held each March in Sioux Falls, S.D. “We are grateful for their time, insight and lasting impact on the association,” said Renee Brod, CPDE member services director.

Other board members include:

• Tom Walsh, Riverview Dairy
• Evan Grong, Valley Queen Cheese Factory
• Stacie De Groot, Gorter’s Clay & Dairy Equipment Inc.
• Rick Eggebrecht, Novita Nutrition, LLC
• Jennifer Landman, Linde Dairy, LLC
• Erin Marotz, En-Mar Holsteins & TLAY Dairy Video Sales
• Aaron Titterington, Jones Dairy
• Barry Visser, Vita Plus

“The CPDA board of directors is a highly professional board with dairy industry views from producers, processors and industry collaborators,” stated Brod. “They are very engaged, collaborative and dedicated to seeing dairy in the Central Plains grow and be successful as we look ahead to the next Central Plains Dairy Expo, March 23-25, 2027.”

For more information about CPDE, visit www.centralplainsdairy.com.