Two Eastern Ontario dairy farmers are now also the vice-chairs of the Dairy Farmers of Ontario board of directors after being elected to the positions last month.
Bart Rijke, who milks 120 cows and crops 500 acres at Hammond, just east of Ottawa, was elected vice-chair. He is also the director for region 1 (Cumberland Township, and Glengarry, Prescott and Russell counties).
Nick Thurler, who milks 420 cows at Brinston, 30 minutes southeast of Kemptville, is now the second vice-chair. He was first elected to the board in 2014 as the director of region 2 (Dundas, Stormont, and Ottawa-Carleton except for the township of Cumberland).
Murray Sherk — who runs a 100-cow dairy farm 30 minutes southwest of Kitchener in Western Ontario — was named chair after two years as vice-chair. Sherk takes over for Ralph Dietrich, who was president for four years before announcing last year that he would be retiring from the board.
