BARABOO, WIS. — Foremost Farms USA announced that Jim Sleper will become Vice President-Member Services/Milk Marketing replacing Joe Weis who will retire from the cooperative effective March 31. Sleper will start his new position on Feb. 18 and will report to Dave Fuhrmann, president of Foremost Farms.
Sleper is currently director of milk supply division at Land O’Lakes, Inc., Arden Hills, Minn., a position he has held since 2002. From 1998 to 2002, he was director of procurement for the southeast region of Dean Foods Company. Prior to that he was manager of market information for Milk Marketing Inc., Strongsville, Ohio; agricultural statistician at USDA, Agricultural Marketing Service, Dairy Division; and an economic research analyst at Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, Okla.
“Jim brings more than 25 years of experience in all aspects of raw milk procurement and marketing as well as dairy economics and Federal Milk Marketing Orders. His skills will help us leverage the strengths of our member services and milk marketing division and take it to a new level of success,” said Fuhrmann.
Sleper will be based at the Baraboo office and will have responsibility for the marketing of bulk fluid milk, producer programs, member services and regulatory compliance.
Sleper grew up on a farm in central Missouri and received a bachelor of science degree in agricultural economics from the University of Missouri-Columbia and a master’s of science degree in agricultural economics from Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kan. He and his wife, Pam, have two sons and reside in Woodbury, Minn.
Foremost Farms USA (www.foremostfarms.com), headquartered in Baraboo, Wis., is a farmer-owned milk processing and marketing cooperative with annual sales of $1.7 billion. The nation’s eighth-largest cooperative and number 21 in annual sales among the Top 100 U.S. dairy processors, Foremost Farms is a leading manufacturer and marketer of cheese, specialty whey ingredients, butter and bulk fluid milk to customers around the world.
Source: Foremost Farms USA