Michelle WieghartDairy Technical Service ManagerKeminBeldenville, Wisconsin
What education are you bringing with you to this position?
- A bachelor's and master's degree in dairy science from Michigan State University.
- A Ph.D. in animal science with an emphasis in dairy nutrition from Cornell University.
Please describe your agricultural background.
Diverse is the best way to describe it. I've been a part of most of the segments of the dairy industry during my life. I've been an ag educator, consultant for dairy producers and companies that serve them, and worked in the feed industry. My husband and I had one of the nation's top registered Jersey farms – Cave Creek Jerseys – for many years. We also put up a mini processing plant on our farm and produced the award-winning CC's Jersey Crème yogurt from 2002 to 2007.
What territory will you cover?
North America.
What are your new responsibilities?
I'll be working with independent nutritionists and feed companies that use Kemin products and encapsulated amino acids.
What previous positions have you held?
I taught dairy production and animal science at the University of Wisconsin – River Falls for five years, worked in the midwestern feed industry for 10 years as a feed sales manager, director of nutrition and technical support person for dairy nutritionists, and spent over 10 years as an independent consultant, first on my own, and then later as part of the Standard Nutrition group.
Who has made the biggest impact on your career?
My husband, Leroy Clark. He was an excellent cow man when I met him at Michigan State University, and he brought the practical into my academic and professional life. Over the years, our discussions over dinner and coffee have been about the dairy industry, our farm and the latest things we wanted to try on the farm. We always moved rapidly to adopt new techniques, ideas and technologies. If we were still dairying, we would be involved with precision dairy technologies like robotic milkers and rumination monitors.
How will you be of most help to producers in your region or area of expertise?
My background as an educator and consultant allows me to transfer ideas and technology to producers and their consultants in a straightforward and practical manner.
Why did you choose this company?
Kemin has a history of producing good products that perform consistently. Once I realized how much research the company is doing, and the number of products the company has ready to roll out in the next few years, I became very excited about the opportunities there. But what really told me Kemin was the right place for me was when I saw the company vision on the wall in the reception area: "We strive to improve the quality of life by touching half the people of the world every day with our products and services.” Next to the vision statement is a real-time calculator that tracks how many people have been touched so far that day. How cool is that?
What goals would you like to accomplish while in this position?
My goal is to improve the quality of life of the dairy producers, employees and consultants that I reach with company products and services. PD
