Midwest Dairy is proud to announce the second class of the Dairy Experience and Agricultural Leadership Program (DEAL) has been selected. The 2022-2023 class was hand-picked from an impressive collection of applications across Midwest Dairy’s 10-state region. These 15 outstanding young dairy farmers, ages 40 and younger, were chosen for their passion for sharing their dairy story and a desire to be more involved in the industry.
Congratulations to the 2022-2023 DEAL Class participants:
• Courtney Lintker, IL
• Ray Hildebrandt, IL
• James Goldsmith, IA
• Dan Venteicher, IA
• Nicole Engelken, IA
• Jennifer Klejeski, MN
• Paige Roberts, MN
• Kevin Borst, MN
• Lindsey Borst, MN
• Elle Tibor, MN
• Natalie Barka, MN
• Stacy Rethman, KS
• John Vanderpoel, NE
• Jessi Sayers, NE
• Cole Hoyer, SD
This 18-month program provides an opportunity for young dairy farmers across the region to learn how to engage with consumers, conduct media interviews, network with industry and peers and gain a deeper understanding of the dairy checkoff. The DEAL program is made up of three phases including in-person meetings and local assignments as well as participating in a consumer dairy event. The first phase will focus on diving into dairy checkoff and discovering the strengths of each participant and how to use them. Phase one will take place on February 22-24, 2022, in Denver, CO.
Midwest Dairy® represents 4,600 dairy farm families and works on their behalf to build dairy demand by inspiring consumer confidence in our products and production practices. We are committed to Bringing Dairy to Life! by Giving Consumers an Excellent Dairy Experience and are funded by farmers across a 10-state region, including Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Arkansas and eastern Oklahoma. For more information, visit MidwestDairy.com. Follow us on Twitter and find us on Facebook at Midwest Dairy. For relevant conversations about issues and trends in the dairy community, listen to Your Dairy Checkoff podcast.