Jan 22, 2020
Michigan commission elects 2020 officers, welcomes new member

During its regularly scheduled meeting on Jan. 22, the Michigan Commission of Agriculture and Rural Development elected its new officers for 2020 and welcomed new Commissioner Tim Boring.

Brian Pridgeon of Montgomery was elected chair of the commission. Pridgeon is the owner of Pridgeon Farms, a seventh-generation hog farm that markets 70,000 animals annually. He is the secretary of the Michigan Pork Producers board of directors and the young farmer chair and executive committee member of the Branch County Farm Bureau.

Dru Montri

Dru Montri of Bath was elected vice chair of the commission. Montri and her husband, Adam, own and operate Ten Hens Farm, a year-round vegetable farm in Bath. She also works as Director of Governmental Affairs and Stakeholder Relations for the MSU Colleges of Agriculture and Natural Resources and Veterinary Medicine. Montri has a bachelor’s degree in horticulture from Michigan State University and a master’s degree in horticulture from Penn State University. She also holds a PhD in horticulture and community, agriculture, recreation and resource studies from Michigan State.

Charlie Meintz was elected Secretary of the Commission. Meintz is owner of Pleasant View Dairy Farm in Stephenson, a centennial farm in Stephenson. The farm also grows grain and hay for its own cows, as well as for sale. He is a Menominee County Board Commissioner and previously served as its Chair, is a member of the Farm First Board, and currently is working with Michigan State University on a corn trial plot on his farm.

Patti Bergdahl of Skandia is the office manager of Bergdahl’s Inc., a family-owned outdoor power farm equipment business located in Skandia. She and her family also raise dairy heifers and grow hay. She is a member of her Farm Bureau Board and Zoning Board of Appeals, as well as Chairman of the Township Planning Commission.

Additionally, the Commission welcomed new Commissioner Tim Boring to his first meeting. Boring was appointed by Governor Gretchen Whitmer effective January 1, 2020 for a term ending on December 31, 2023. Boring owns and operates Boring Farms, a six-generation grain farm in Stockbridge. He holds an M.S. and Ph.D. in Crop and Soil Sciences from Michigan State University.

The Michigan Commission of Agriculture and Rural Development has the responsibility to recommend, and in some cases determine, policy on food, agricultural, and rural development issues. The Commission is a bipartisan body of five citizens appointed by the Governor.

For a schedule of Commission meetings or additional information, visit the Commission website.




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