In the News

Koepon and CRI combine to form URUS

Two strong organizations – one cooperative and one privately-owned company – have combined to form a new global leader in cattle artificial insemination genetics and farm management information.

Koepon Holding BV and Cooperative Resources International (CRI) announced their intent to merge in December 2017. Following due diligence and votes by each organization’s board of directors as well as the member delegates of CRI, the business combination was completed in October 2018. The new organization is known as URUS.

“While URUS is a new name in the global agriculture industry, its roots run deep,” states Cees Hartmans, CEO. “The companies within the URUS family – AgSource, Alta Genetics, GENEX, Jetstream Genetics, PEAK/GENESIS, SCCL and VAS – have a history of serving dairy and beef producers across the world. Now, as part of this new organization, these companies are even better positioned to meet the future needs of members and clients.”

The formation of URUS, with its size and scale, makes possible a significant increase in investment towards products and services that will benefit producers across the globe.

“The companies of URUS will be leaders in new developments for the cattle industry,” states Hartmans. “Dairy and beef cattle producers are the heart of this organization, and so we want to ensure our members and clients have access to the best products and services at a competitive price. We want to be your partner of choice for cattle genetics, reproduction and farm management information for years to come.

“Together, we can focus on producing high-quality and healthy food while contributing to a sustainable, productive and profitable global dairy and beef industry.”

Dugan Elected to GENEX Council

Four Council Members Re-elected

At the GENEX annual meeting, dairy producer Casey Dugan of Casa Grande, Arizona, was elected to his first term on the cooperative’s governing council after serving as a delegate since 2014.

Casey Dugan

In this council position, he represents dairy and beef producers in the GENEX membership region which includes Washington, Oregon, California, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas.

Casey is owner of Desperado Dairy in Casa Grande, where he is a third-generation dairy farmer running the 1,000-cow operation. He’s also co-owner of Dugan Brothers LLC, a custom harvesting company, and Dugan Feeds LLC, which distributes feed rations to local farms.

He attended Northern Arizona University earning a bachelor’s degree in business and is a graduate of Arizona’s rural leadership program, Project CENTRL. Other industry involvement extends to the United Dairymen of Arizona cooperative and Arizona DHIA.

Four incumbents were also re-elected to the GENEX council. Those re-elected to new three-year terms include Dan Tetreault of Champlain, New York; Lamar Gockley of Mohnton, Pennsylvania; Kay Olson-Martz of Friendship, Wisconsin; and Jody Schaap of Woodstock, Minnesota.

Dan Tetreault

Lamar Gockley

Kay Olson-Martz

Jody Schaap

GENEX Announces Senior Leadership Team

“Change is inevitable,” states Huub te Plate, GENEX Chief Operating Officer. “2018 went into the books as the year GENEX became part of a new organization, URUS. While we continue to market cattle genetics, herd care products and reproductive service, as part of this new organization we can realize significant savings.”

Huub te Plate, Chief Operating Officer

Areas such as the genetics program and semen production operations have been centralized under URUS. Centralizing these activities enables the creation of efficient production facilities to maximize the quantity and quality of semen produced.

The formation of URUS and centralization of operations, along with the desire to position GENEX for the future, also led to a restructuring of the GENEX senior leadership team.

“The new leadership team is an experienced multicultural team that, with the help of all employees, will move GENEX to the next level and enable this cooperative to serve dairy and beef producers around the globe long into the future,” states Huub.

The senior leadership team consists of Dean Gilge, Vice President of Wholesale Markets; Dave Goedken, Vice President of U.S. Dairy Sales and Service; Judd Hanson, Vice President of U.S. Dairy Strategic Sales; Nick Hemauer, Vice President of Global Sales Support; Dave Mellinger, Chief Financial Officer; Humberto Sánchez DVM, General Manager of GENEX México; Sergio Saud, General Manager of GENEX Brazil; Jeff Swenson, Vice President of Beef Sales, Service and Product Development; and Terri Dallas, Vice President of Member Relations.

Apply Today!

GENEX Collegiate Scholarship

Youth attending a four-year university or two-year technical college in fall 2019 and pursuing a degree in an agricultural field are encouraged to apply for the GENEX Collegiate Scholarship.

Applicants must also be affiliated with a GENEX member by having an active role on the member’s dairy or ranch. GENEX members are producers within the contiguous U.S. who have purchased $500 of semen, products and/or services in a 12-month period and submitted a membership agreement form.

GENEX will provide a minimum of four $750 scholarships. For more information on the scholarship and to complete the application, visit the GENEX Journal at www.genex.coop. Applications, including applicant photo and two letters of recommendation, must be postmarked by April 1, 2019.