Lynda Foster Fort Scott, Kansas Member National Dairy Promotion and Research Board

What education are you bringing with you to the position?
They say learning is doing – and I’ve been involved in dairy all my life. Not only do I have a degree from Kansas State University, I’ve also stayed up-to-date with changes in the dairy industry through extension programs, dairy school seminars and participating in dairy peer groups.

Please describe your agricultural background.
I’m a third-generation dairy farmer. I was born on a dairy farm that first started in the 1940s as a partnership between my grandfather, dad and uncle. Growing up I helped feed calves and get cows in off the pasture to be milked.

What are your new responsibilities as a board member?
As a National Dairy Board (NDB) appointee representing Region 4 – which is Kansas, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas and New Mexico – I attend National Dairy Board and Dairy Management Inc. (DMI) board meetings. DMI manages the national dairy producer checkoff and is funded, in part, through the NDB.

I also serve as an ex-officio (non-voting) member of the Midwest Dairy Association corporate board and serve on its Mo-Kan Divisional Board.

What previous positions have you held?
I got a degree in dairy production and returned to the farm after meeting my future husband, Gary. We ran the dairy in partnership with my parents before becoming sole proprietors in 2000. Our son, David, returned to the farm after marrying and finishing school and is involved in our business.

My business experience includes milking, formulating feed rations, hiring and training employees, scheduling and payroll, record keeping, and co-managing the day-to-day care of our animals and other important farm business.

In all, I bring more than 30 years of experience not only as a farmer, but also as a strong promoter of dairy. I’ve hosted tours on our farm for many years and have participated in local and regional dairy promotion activities.

I’ve also been involved in numerous leadership and spokesperson training programs to better tell our story with consumers, the media and civic organizations.

What excites you most about this role?
Getting to interact with others who are involved in the dairy industry. To see the passion, drive and energy level of the people who care about this industry is amazing. It’s catching. Hopefully it makes me better at helping make informed decisions about how checkoff money is spent.

Why did you choose to accept this appointment?
I’m honored to represent America’s dairy farmers. Having been on the NDB before, I know it’s a big time commitment and a challenge to keep things running at home. But I feel it’s important that dairy farmers make the decisions about how our promotion money is spent. Gary and I have always felt it is just as important to be active in those things that affect our industry as it is to do the day-to-day chores on the farm.

What goals would you like to accomplish while in this role?
As dairy farmers, we have an obligation to know how our checkoff dollars are spent. That’s not just my goal – that should be all of our goals. Our checkoff programs are doing some amazing things. The Fuel Up to Play 60 program in our schools is huge and is making an impact.

In my opinion, the creation of the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy has to be one of the greatest accomplishments of dairy promotion ever! It’s allowed participation from all aspects of dairy to be involved in the betterment of the whole – all to provide a safe, affordable and abundant food supply.

One goal I have is to continue to increase the partners we work with to further stretch our dollars. It’s also critical that we continue work to turn around fluid milk consumption. Milk is basic nutrition at its finest and is the building block for all the other great products we have. PD