ARDEN HILLS, Minn. (October 4, 2018) – Land O’Lakes, Inc. board chairman Pete Kappelman was named Dairyman of the Year by the World Dairy Expo this week in Madison, Wis. Kappleman, of Two Rivers, Wisconsin, owns and operates Meadow Brook Dairy and will celebrate 23 years of service on the Land O’Lakes board in early 2019.

“There is no recipient more deserving of this honor,” said Beth Ford, president and chief executive officer of Land O’Lakes, Inc. “Pete not only works tirelessly on behalf of Land O’Lakes but is an unrelenting champion for both dairy farming and the agriculture industry more broadly. His voice, leadership and innovation has led us through the ups-and-downs of a constantly evolving ag landscape and has created a strong and dependable foundation for our future success.”

A fourth-generation farmer, Kappelman and his wife, Shellie, along with their children, Beth, Mitch, Erin and son-in-law, A.J. Kenneke, oversee a herd of 470 Brown Swiss and Holstein cows along with 1,100 acres of alfalfa, corn, wheat, oats and rye. In addition to his work with Land O’Lakes, Kappelman also serves on the National Milk Producers Federation’s board of directors and has held positions on the U.S. Dairy Export Council, and as an ag policy advisor to the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture and the U.S. Trade Representative.

Since 1969, the World Dairy Expo in Madison, Wisconsin has recognized a Dairyman and Dairy Woman of the Year for their outstanding work and dedication to the dairy industry. Award recipients are nominated and selected by their peers. In 2017, Land O’Lakes member owner Marilyn Hershey was honored as Dairy Woman of the Year.