Global Dairy Summit

​​​​​​​​​About

​The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) hosted the Global Dairy Summit at World Dairy Expo in Madison on Friday, October 4, 2024.The purpose of the Global Dairy Summit was to provide insight into the dairy economy, consider the industry outlook, and highlight potential marketing opportunities. This event included presentations from global dairy leaders followed by a moderated discussion responding to questions from the audience. DATCP invited farmers, processors, businesses, and global industry stakeholders to attend.​

Recording

The 2024 Global Dairy Summit was recorded. Access the recording​.

Schedule

Opening​

Welcome by DATCP Secretary Randy Romanski

Presentations

Krysta Harden, President & Chief Executive Officer, U.S. Dairy Export Council

Mike McCully, President and Owner, McCully Consulting

Heather Anfang, President, Dairy Foods and Executive Vice President​, Land O’ Lakes, Inc.

Dave Lenzmeier, Chief Executive Officer, Milk Specialties Global​

Panel​

Panel discussion (Moderator: Corey Geiger, Lead Economist, Dairy at CoBank)

Remarks

Remarks by U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, followed by questions and answers

Conclusion​

Closing by DATCP Secretary Randy Romanski

Networking

Registration

​​​​The Global Dairy Summit was free to attend with paid admission to World Dairy Expo. Pre-registration was encouraged.

Speaker Profiles

Presenters

As president and CEO of the U.S. Dairy Export Council (USDEC), Krysta Harden leverages a strong background within agriculture, sustainability and food policy in fulfilling USDEC’s mission to promote dairy exports and enrich the well-being of people, communities and the planet. Harden joined USDEC in May 2020 as chief operating officer. For nine months—before being named president and CEO—she worked with then president and CEO Tom Vilsack to fine-tune the organization. When she joined USDEC, Harden was not new to dairy. In April 2019, she began working for Dairy Management Inc., which manages the dairy checkoff for 34,000 dairy farmers, to define the vision, strategy and plan forward for U.S. dairy’s environmental commitme​nt. Before joining DMI, Harden served three years as senior vice president of external affairs and chief sustainability officer for Corteva Agriscience, the agriculture division of DuPont, while also serving as vice president of public policy at DuPont. ​She also spent nearly seven years working with Secretary Tom Vilsack at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), including two years and seven months as deputy secretary. Preceding her service at USDA, Harden was CEO of the National Association of Conservation Districts for five years, providing national leadership for natural resource conservation and representing thousands of conservation districts across the nation. Harden spent 12 years on Capitol Hill as staff director for the House subcommittee on peanuts and tobacco and as chief of staff and press secretary for former Congressman Charles Hatcher. Throughout her career in agriculture, Harden has focused on expanding opportunities for women, young people, immigrants, socially disadvantaged producers, returning veterans and retirees, among others. Harden’s passion to help young people is evident by her service as chair for the National 4-H Council Board of Trustees. Harden is also a board member of AgBiome, the Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research (FFAR), Global Child Nutrition Foundation, The Change Collective Advisory Council, and the University of Georgia Agriculture Advisory Council. 

Mike McCully owns McCully Consulting, a firm that provides strategic consulting services to dairy and food companies. Client projects include business analysis, purchasing and supply chain strategies, market research, and commodity risk management. In addition, McCully Consulting has provided subject matter expertise for global consulting companies, private equity firms, and Wall Street in​vestment banks. Prior to starting McCully Consulting, Mike worked for over 15 years at Kraft Foods where he held management roles in dairy, meat, and grain purchasing. Throughout his career, Mike has provided leadership on dairy industry issues. He has served on the Board of Directors for International Dairy Foods Association’s Milk Industry Foundation, IDFA Dairy Ingredients, and the Dairy Institute of California. He has been a member of IDFA’s Economic Policy Committee, Legislative Oversight Committee, Farm Bill Committee, the National Cheese Institute’s Economic Policy and Legislative Committee, and the California Dairy Institute’s Producer Relations committee. He also has served on numerous dairy industry task forces involving dairy policy and price volatility issues. Mike grew up on a grain and beef cattle farm in north central Illinois and remains active in the beef industry through his partnerships in purebred Angus and Hereford cattle. He has a Bachelor’s degree in Agriculture from Western Illinois University and a Master’s degree in Agricultural Economics from the University of Illinois. 

Heather Anfang serves as President, Dairy Foods and Executive Vice President, Land O’Lakes, Inc. where she oversees strategic and commercial activities in the Dairy Retail and Foodservice bus​inesses, partners to drive overall brand health and encourages the continued engagement and development of team members within the Dairy Foods business. Heather has served Land O’Lakes for 20 years, including many years heading Dairy Foods Marketing and more recently, heading enterprise-wide e-commerce efforts. She earned her Bachelor's Degree in Marketing from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Minnesota Carlson School of Management. Heather gained career experience at Pillsbury and Information Resources, Inc. She is a leader in the industry, serving​ on the Board of Directors for the Consumer Brands Association and Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy.

David Lenzmeier grew up on a dairy farm in Kimball, Minnesota and has spent his entire life in the dairy industry. Prior to joining Milk Specialties Global, David co-founded and served as President of Protient Inc. He also served as President of Glencoe Butter & Produce. He joined Milk Specialties Global as President of Global Food Solutions in 2008 and is currently the Chief Executive Officer. Milk Specialties Global is an industry-leading manufacturer of innovative nutritional ingred​ients for the health and wellness industry, with certified manufacturing facilities in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Nebraska, Idaho, Illinois, and California. The core of Milk Specialties Global’s business is in value-added dairy ingredients including whey protein isolate, concentrate, and hydrolysate, as well as milk protein, micellar casein, and lactose. David is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-River Falls.​

Moderator

Corey Geiger Moderator PhotoCorey Geiger has made a career of assessing the information and leadership needs of the dairy industry. Geiger is now the Lead Dairy Economist with CoBank, one of the largest providers of credit to the dairy and the U.S. rural economy.​​​ For 28 years, he served on the Hoard’s Dairyman Editorial team and was just the seventh person to serve as managing editor since its founding in 1885 by Wisconsin Governor W.D. Hoard. During his editorial tenure, Geiger worked tirelessly to bring the best scientific, managerial, and policymaking information to the dairy community. He also led the lau​nch of Hoard’s Dairyman China. Geiger’s resume contains a lengthy list of key leadership roles where he was elected president of National Dairy Shrine, the Wisconsin Holstein Association, and Holstein Association USA. He also has served on the board of directors for the Council on Dairy Cattle Breeding and World Dairy Expo where he chairs the Education Committee. Geiger also operates his six-generation family farm and published two award-winning books centered on family, farm life, and the greater dairy industry.​