Augusta dairy farmer elected to co-op board
Don Honadel, Augusta, Wis., at the annual meeting of Associated Milk Producers Inc. Anderson is the newest member of the co-op's leadership team.
AMPI announces new, recognizes retiring board members
NEW ULM, Minn. (Feb. 19, 2020) — Don Honadel, Augusta, Wis., has been elected to the Associated Milk Producers Inc. (AMPI) Board of Directors. The AMPI dairy farmer-owner took his seat on the board at the AMPI Annual Meeting, held Feb. 18.
“Our board members’ collective expertise will be instrumental as we work together to continue to strengthen the co-op’s performance,” said AMPI Chairman of the Board Steve Schlangen, a dairy farmer from Albany, Minn.
The 18-member board is elected to represent the interests of fellow member-owners from Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska, South Dakota and North Dakota. Directors in two of AMPI's six divisions are elected each year to serve a three-year term.
Honadel and his wife, Nicole, are partners with Donald and Tamara Schroeder and Gary Schroeder at Bears Grass Dairy Inc. The west central Wisconsin farm is home to 400 cows. The couple has one daughter, Jenna, and is expecting their second child in June. Honadel has served eight years as an AMPI elected representative.
Reelected to the board were Dan Anderson, Holmen, Wis.; Alexa DeVries, Melrose, Wis.; Dennis Hawkins, Chippewa Falls, Wis.; Tom Jandt, West Salem, Wis.; and Dave Peterson, Boyd, Wis.
Two members retired from the board of directors. They were Paul Bodensteiner, West Union, Iowa, and Brad Nevin, Rice Lake, Wis. Bodensteiner served seven years and Nevin 18 years on the board.
AMPI is headquartered in New Ulm, Minn., and owned by dairy farm families from Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska, South Dakota and North Dakota. AMPI is the largest farmer-owned cheese cooperative in the U.S. The cooperative’s cheese, butter and powdered dairy products are marketed to foodservice, retail and food ingredient customers. The co-op launched its Dinner Bell Creamery brand and accompanying Co-op Crafted promise in 2019, highlighting more than 50 years of dairy farm families partnering with skilled dairy craftsmen to make great-tasting, award-winning products.
