Jackson County Farmers Selected for Wisconsin Farm Bureau's Young Farmer and Agriculturist Committee

Tuesday, November 24th, 2020 -- 8:00 AM

(Wisconsin Ag Connection) -The Wisconsin Farm Bureau's Young Farmer and Agriculturist Committee has four new members.

The group's board of directors has appointed Keith and Savannah Henke of Jackson County, Sara Menard from Adams County and Lauren Kostello of Manitowoc County to join the panel, which consists of nine couples or individuals between the ages of 18-35. Their terms will begin at the WFBF's annual meeting and Young Farmer and Agriculturist Conference in December.  "It is exciting to see these young members stepping up and assuming a leadership role in our organization," said WFBF President Joe Bragger. "The YFA program is designed to build the next generation of Farm Bureau leaders and these appointees will surely rise to the occasion."  The Henke were recently married and live in Black River Falls. Keith grew up on a dairy farm in Stanley before pursuing a degree in industrial mechanics at Chippewa Valley Technical College and works for Millis Transfer driving freight throughout the Midwest. Savannah earned a degree in dairy science and agricultural business from the University of Wisconsin-River Falls. She is a graduate of WFBF's Leadership Institute and is the operations manager at the Land O' Lakes Animal Milk Solutions plant in Black River Falls.

Menard attended Louisiana State University where she was introduced to a food science professor who guided her education and career path. After receiving a master's from Kansas State University in food science, she received a job offer from Grande Custom Ingredients in Fond du Lac. She now works as a senior food scientist at Brakebush Brothers in Westfield where she works with national restaurant chains to develop new chicken offerings.  And Kostello is a crop insurance agent for Investors Community Bank based out of Manitowoc. She graduated from UW-River Falls with a bachelor's degree in agriculture business with a dairy science minor. Lauren serves on the Manitowoc County Farm Bureau board of directors and is a graduate of WFBF's Leadership Institute.  The YFA aims to get more young farmers and agriculturists acquainted with and involved in Farm Bureau.

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