“Jeff brings a long-standing career of representing and serving dairy farmers to this position. His depth of knowledge and past experience on being a voice for dairy farmers makes him an ideal leader for this cooperative. We believe he will continue the strong partnership and collaboration our cooperative has across the industry,” says John Rettler, president of FarmFirst Dairy Cooperative. “The board of directors is excited to have Jeff join the cooperative to continue serving Midwest dairy farmers.”
As the General Manager of FarmFirst Dairy Cooperative, Lyon will lead the cooperative through management of the cooperative and its member programs, and represent members’ interests and concerns through industry initiatives and discussions, both on a regional and national level.
Lyon brings to this General Manager position nearly eight years’ worth of experience serving as the Deputy Secretary at the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection under Secretary Ben Brancel.
Among his primary responsibilities, he assisted in government programs and operations as well as working with key leaders in the legislature and the Governor. Prior to his role as Deputy Secretary, Lyon worked for 22 years within governmental relations for the Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation, including national affairs as well as state legislative and regulatory issues.
FarmFirst Dairy Cooperative was established in 2013 and is based in Madison, Wis. The cooperative represents farms in Wisconsin, Minnesota, South Dakota, Michigan, Iowa, Illinois and Indiana through policy bargaining, dairy marketing services, laboratory testing opportunities and industry promotion.
