World Dairy Expo’s Board of Directors approved five new members at its annual meeting, held March 6 at the Alliant Energy Center, in Madison, Wisconsin. The board is composed of a variety of dairy business professionals from the U.S. and Canada. Established in 1970 as World Dairy Expo, Inc. (WDE), the board serves in an advisory role to the management. Five new members will join the board of directors. The new directors include: Buster Goff, Callum McKinven, Paula Bovre, Jim Crowley, Jr. and Kate VandenBosch.

Buster Goff, representing Dairy Farmers of America, milks approximately 5,000 Holsteins and 2,600 Jerseys along with his wife and son in Hobbs, New Mexico. He is a member of his county’s water board.

Goff has been the recipient of the New Mexico Agriculturists of the Year, received the New Mexico Entrepreneurial Award and was honored by the College of the Southwest with the Free Enterprise Award. Goff replaces Les Hardesty of Dairy Farmers of America.

Callum McKinven, representing the Purebred Breeders of World Dairy Expo, is currently in partnership at Lookout Holsteins & Jerseys in Canton de Hatley, Quebec, Canada. He has shown well-known heifers and cows to victory at major shows during his tenure, including World Dairy Expo.

McKinven is a very active, respected judge, both domestically and internationally. He replaces Gerald Bratland.

Paula Bovre, representing the Wisconsin Holstein Association, is managing partner, with her husband, Rick, of the Great Northern Land & Cattle Co., Inc., Fond du Lac, Wisconsin.

The Bovres have owned that business for more than 30 years and Bovre is also an agent for the Merle Howard Insurance Agency, which specializes in livestock mortality insurance.

She has served as superintendent of the International Junior Holstein Show at World Dairy Expo from the inception in 2004. She also remains actively involved with her family’s farm, Erbacres Holsteins. Bovre replaces Wallace Behnke.

Jim Crowley, Jr., as World Dairy Expo Dairy Cattle Show Superintendent board representative, joins the Board of Directors and will also serve on Expo’s Executive Committee. Crowley has served as an active volunteer at World Dairy Expo for many years.

Crowley brings a substantial amount of cattle show experience to the position, having most recently served as the Brown Swiss superintendent, meeting the needs of Brown Swiss exhibitors from across the U.S. and Canada. Crowley replaces Bob Kaiser who retired as dairy cattle show superintendent.

Kate VandenBosch, representing University of Wisconsin – Madison CALS, is the newly elected Dean of the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences and represents the university as an ex-officio member on the Expo board.

VandenBosch headed the plant biology department at the University of Minnesota since 2001 and served as a faculty member at Texas A & M University for 12 years prior.

She assumed her new role as dean at UW–Madison on March 1 and will oversee the college’s 19 academic departments, as well as coordinating the Cooperative Extension Service programs within the college and director of the Wisconsin Agricultural Experiment Station. VandenBosch replaces Bill Tracy on the Expo board.

The current Executive Committee includes Mike Holschbach, president; Debbie Crave, 1st vice president; Dean Hermsdorf, 2nd vice president and WDE Commercial Exhibitors Committee chair; Bill Barlass, secretary/treasurer; Mark Clarke, general manager; Jim Crowley, Jr., WDE Dairy Cattle Show superintendent; Steve Larson, director at-large; Jeff Lyon, Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection; Tom Morris, WDE Dairy Cattle Exhibitors Committee chair; Steve Strickler, Dairy Farmers of America; and Alan Deming, WDE Finance Committee chair. PD

—From World Dairy Expo news release

PHOTO
World Dairy Expo’s 2011 Executive Committee members include, left to right, front row: Jim Crowley, Jr., Dairy Cattle Show superintendent; Bill Barlass, secretary/treasurer; Debbie Crave, 1st vice president; and Mike Holschbach, president; middle row: Alan Deming, Finance Committee chair; Tom Morris, Dairy Cattle Exhibitors Committee chair; Steve Strickler, Dairy Farmers of America; and Dean Hermsdorf, 2nd vice president and Commercial Exhibitor Committee chair; back row: Mark Clarke, general manager; and Jeff Lyons, WI DATCP. Photo courtesy of World Dairy Expo.