Salem, Ore. — Robert Kircher, a partner to two organic dairy farms, has been appointed to the Oregon Dairy Farmers Association Board of Directors representing producers in the Willamette Valley.
Kircher will complete the remaining two years of a term vacated by Pete DeHaan, according to an ODFA press release.
Kircher has a unique background for a dairy producer. He was born in Kodiak, Alaska, and moved to Oregon when he was two years old. His family invested in a brew pub, and when Robert was 11, he met Dan Bansen, the owner of Forest Glen Jerseys. Robert’s father was looking for a dairy to take the brewers grain leftover from the beer making process and Bansen was interested. He invited Robert and his two younger brothers to spend the day with him and learn about the farm. That one-day visit turned into a job after school, working weekends and during summer break.
Kircher graduated from Oregon State University with a degree in agriculture and a focus on dairy science. He spent a term on a conventional dairy in Hilmar, Calif. Following his graduation, he returned to the farm full-time. He worked his way up to farm manager and became a partner in the business with his brother, Stewart Kircher, and Dan Bansen. They currently milk 1,500 organic Jerseys on two farms.
Kircher and his wife Callyn have two children. Kircher graduated from ODFA’s Dairy Leadership Program and currently serves on Organic Valley’s Dairy Executive Committee.
The Oregon Dairy Farmers Association is governed by eight producers from across the state and one industry representative. ODFA was founded in 1892 to work on behalf of Oregon dairy farmers. ODFA represents Oregon’s 218 multi-generational Grade A dairy farming families.
Online
www.oregondairyfarmers.org
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Source: Capital Press
Link: http://www.capitalpress.com/Dairy/20180507/kircher-appointed-to-oregon-dairy-farmers-association-board