Erica Pagel, director of Raw Materials Management for Foremost Farms USA in Baraboo, Wisconsin, has begun a three-year term of service on the Professional Dairy Producers Foundation board.

At Foremost Farms, Pagel is responsible for purchase and sale of raw milk and related products and supply planning. She is formerly a senior buyer for Kraft Foods, where she bought milk for the company’s plants across the U.S. She grew up on her family's dairy farm in Lena, Wisconsin, and holds a master’s degree in agricultural economics with a focus on dairy policy from Cornell University.

Pagel joins five dairy industry colleagues currently serving on the Foundation board: Pete Giacomini, Verona, Wisconsin, chief operating officer for AgSource Cooperative Services; Logan Bower, dairy producer, Blain, Pennsylvania; Deb Reinhart, dairy producer, Chilton, Wisconsin; Loren Greenfield, dairy producer, Markesan, Wisconsin; and JoAnn Maedke, dairy producer, Eden, Wisconsin.

Deb Reinhart has been elected chair of the board. Logan Bower will serve as vice chair and JoAnn Maedke will serve as secretary-treasurer.

The Professional Dairy Producers Foundation was established in 2002 as a way to raise funds and awards grants for educational programs. The Foundation is a 501(c)(3) entity. For information on programs funded and ways to donate, visit www.dairyfoundation.org.

—From PDP Foundation news release