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Koepke Family leads and gives
Koepke Farms in Oconomowoc, Wis., has been honored with the 2011 World
Dairy Expo Dairymen of the Year award. This family dairy operation has been a model for professionalism, leadership and "giving back" to the dairy industry. The farm business includes Alan, David, Jim and John, together with their families.
In particular, we'd like to highlight the achievements of Mr. Al Koepke, who
served as the first Chair of the Professional Dairy Producers Foundation board
of directors. Alan was a founding member of Professional Dairy Producers of
Wisconsin in the early 1990s. Then, in 2000, Alan saw the advantages of forming
a charitable foundation that raises funds and supports educational programs in
the dairy industry. He is a Founding Friend of the Professional Dairy Producers
Foundation and served as its Chair from 2002-2005.
Alan is a fervent believer in his profession, because caring for cows provides a
valuable service to the world. "The future of the dairy industry will always be
strong because the dairy cow is such an efficient converter of forage and by-
products into very valuable human food without competing for food that humans
use."
And, when it comes to establishing the Professional Dairy Producers Foundation,
Al says, "It's important to have many different resources available to inform
people in the dairy industry about any given subject. It's also very important to
have uncommitted funds available to do that."
Thank you to the Koepke family for being excellent and professional role models.
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