URUS Dairy Influencers Recognized by World Dairy Expo
URUS is extremely proud and honored that their peers selected three of our illustrious leaders as the 2020 World Dairy Expo Recognition Award winners.
Industry People of the Year
Steve Eicker, King Ferry, N.Y., and Connor Jameson, Tulare, Calif., VAS
Steve Eicker and Connor Jameson, founders of VAS and creators of the ground-breaking dairy herd management software known as DairyComp, have been named Industry People of the Year by World Dairy Expo. Both visionaries were ahead of their time; it was in 1980 that they developed the digital means to record and manage dairy data, predicting what farmers of the future would need to make the most profitable decisions for their operations. These individuals’ forward-thinking truly revolutionized the way dairy farmers manage their farms. Today, VAS is recognized by farmers around the globe, and more than 60% of cows in the United States are managed through DairyComp.
Steve and Connor have forever changed the way farmers manage their farms.
International Person of the Year
Wijnand Pon, Garnwerd, Groningen, Netherlands, URUS Group
Wijnand Pon is a man who never stops chasing his dreams. With his positive energy, passion for the dairy industry, and drive to ensure a sustainable environment for the future, he has been an example to both farmers and agriculture industry professionals around the world.
Under Wijnand’s leadership, Koepon Holding became a leader in the dairy industry. In 2018, his high ambitions and entrepreneurship led to a unique business combination between Koepon Holding and Cooperative Resources International. The result was the formation of URUS Group LP; a unique organization with both cooperative and private ownership. URUS and its companies – AgSource, VAS, Alta Genetics, GENEX, Jetstream Genetics, PEAK and SCCL – are all centered around the cow and empowering producers for the future.
These individuals will be formally recognized during World Dairy Expo at WDE’s Dinner with the Stars, September 30, 2020 in Madison, Wisconsin.
