Kevin Krentz was elected president of the Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation and Rural Mutual Insurance Co. on Dec. 7. He is a dairy farmer from Berlin in Waushara County. 

Krentz was first elected to the WFBF board of directors in 2012 to represent District 5, which includes Adams, Fond du Lac, Green Lake, Juneau, Marquette, Waushara and Winnebago counties.

He is president of Krentz Family Dairy Inc. Krentz started his farming career in 1994 when he purchased his father’s 60 cows. He has grown the farm to 600 cows and 1,300 acres of crops. He and his wife, Holly, have a daughter and three sons.

Krentz succeeds Joe Bragger of Independence in Buffalo County, who served one year as Wisconsin Farm Bureau president. Bragger was reelected to a three-year term on the board representing District 4: Buffalo, Eau Claire, Jackson, La Crosse, Monroe and Trempealeau counties.

Dave Daniels from Union Grove in Kenosha County was reelected to serve as vice president.

Cates wins service award

During the virtual WFBF Convention, held Dec. 4-5, Richard (Dick) Cates Jr. was presented the Distinguished Service to Wisconsin Agriculture Award for his outstanding long-term contributions to Wisconsin’s ag industry. 

A Wisconsin native, Cates has been surrounded by agriculture his whole life. He earned his doctorate in soil science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He and his wife, Kim, returned to the family farm with a determination to turn it into a successful business. The couple co-own Cates Family Farm LLC in Iowa County with their son, Eric; his wife, Kiley; their daughter, Shannon; and her husband, Dan.

In 1995, Cates helped create the Wisconsin School for Beginning Dairy and Livestock Farmers, which is a program within UW-Madison’s Farm and Industry Short Course and Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems that teaches young farmers what they need to know when starting their farming businesses. This program has assisted more than 600 young and not-so-young individuals to start or move toward their dream to farm. Cates retired from this work in 2018, but during those 23 years he also developed and taught courses in grassland ecology, pasture management, managed grazing and agroecology within the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences at UW-Madison. 

Previously, he served on the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection board of directors and the USDA Secretary’s Advisory Council for Beginning Farmers and Ranchers. Cates serves on the boards of the Town of Wyoming (elected official), Spring Green Fire District, Driftless Area Land Conservancy, Upland Hills Health Foundation and the Sand County Foundation. In 2016, Cates was named a Wisconsin Master Agriculturist. Additionally, the Cates family has been recognized for their soil and water conservation work through various awards since 1998 and are members of the Iowa County Uplands Farmer-Led Watershed Project and the Lowery Creek Watershed Initiative. 

Bartholomews honored

Waukesha County’s Robert and Carol Bartholomew received the highest award that Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation bestows upon its members: the Distinguished Service to Farm Bureau Award.

“For their commitment to making Farm Bureau a strong organization in Waukesha County and in Wisconsin, I am pleased to present our Distinguished Service to Farm Bureau Award to Bob and Carol,” Bragger said. “Although Bob passed away earlier this year, his legacy and the work that he did continues to thrive and help future generations of members.” 

The couple were actively involved in Farm Bureau for many years. During his time as Waukesha County Farm Bureau president, Bob invited guest speakers to several board meetings and the county annual meeting. The tradition has continued, and UW-Extension staff, county sheriff personnel, and local, state and national legislators continue to attend meetings to keep Farm Bureau members informed.

Source: Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation, which is solely responsible for the information provided and is wholly owned by the source. Informa Business Media and all its subsidiaries are not responsible for any of the content contained in this information asset.