Tom Strachota

General Manager

Tom Strachota serves as General Manager for Dairyland Seed, a business started by Tom’s grandfather, Simon, in 1907 and acquired by Dow AgroSciences in August, 2008.  Tom joined his father, Orville, in 1976, working in the marketing area as well as serving as director of research until 1981.  He was named Executive Vice President in 1985 and served as CEO from 1994 through August 2008.  As General Manager, Tom’s primary responsibility is growing the Dairyland Seed brand.  He also leads the Dairyland Executive Committee which includes: Gary Leeper, Director of Sales; Fred Reckner, Controller; Kim Mayne, Operations Leader; Hunt Wiley, North American Dairyland Soybean Breeding Leader; Ron Cornish, Alfalfa Strategy Leader; and T.J. Strachota, Marketing Associate.

Tom has been active in several leadership roles for the American Seed Trade Association, having served as Regional Vice President and as a member of the Board of Directors.  He is a past member of the Board of the Directors of the American Seed Research Foundation.  He is a Past President of the Western Seed Association.  He has also served on the National Alfalfa Variety Review Board. Tom is an emeritus member of the University of Wisconsin’s College of Agriculture and Life Science’s (CALS) Board of Visitors.  In 1999 he received the Friend of Agronomy Award from the University of Wisconsin.  In 2002 he received the Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year award.  Tom has also served on several community boards and is presently a director of the M&I Bank in West Bend, Wisconsin.

Tom holds a B.A. in marketing from the University of Notre Dame and a MBA from The Ohio State University.

Gary Leeper

National Sales Leader

Gary Leeper, National Sales Leader for Dairyland Seed, has worked in the seed industry for 30 years. He has held numerous sales and sales leadership roles with Northrup King, Asgrow Seed Co. and Mycogen.

As National Sales Leader for Dairyland Seed Gary is responsible for overseeing all aspects of sales, which includes its dealer sales network in the Midwest, as well as its Corn and Soybean Agronomy Team and Forage Product Manager.

He currently serves on the Dairyland Seed Executive Committee, as well as interacting with the Dow AgroSciences Management Group.

Gary is an Iowa native and received his B.A. from the University of Northern Iowa.

Fred Reckner

Controller

Fred Reckner is Controller at Dairyland Seed Co., Inc.  He joined the company in June 2005.

 He directs the Accounting and Information Technology Departments and is responsible for internal and external financial reporting and management of local treasury functions and IT projects. He is a permanent member of the Executive Committee interacting with corporate management, financial institutions, audit firms and all financial reporting with Dow Agrosciences.  The four roles in the Finance function: 1) Commentator – focus on explaining the numbers, 2) Business partner – focus on value creation, 3) Scorekeeper – focus on bookkeeping, 4) Custodian – focus on governance.  “First focus on getting good people, efficient systems and processes and a culture of continuous improvement, then being constructive and adding value to the business”.

Fred has over 25 years of accounting and management experience working at The West Bend Company and serving with an Illinois Tool Works, Inc. Division in Los Angeles.  He has an MBA degree from University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee. He is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Platteville with a BS in Accounting.  He holds a Certified Public Accounting certificate from Wisconsin.  He is married with two children and resides in West Bend, WI.

Kim Mayne

Operations Leader

Kim Mayne started his career in the seed industry in 1973 working for Kussmaul Hybrids, in Mt. Hope, WI.  From 1973 through the fall of 1981, he was employed as warehouse manager, conditioning room supervisor, and distribution manager.  Kim also carried various district sales manager responsibilities in Iowa, Minnesota, South Dakota, North Dakota, Nebraska, and Montana, throughout his employment with Kussmaul Hybrids.

Mayne joined Dairyland Seed as a member of the warehouse staff in the fall of 1981.  He was named Warehouse and Shipping Manager in 1982.  He also served as District Sales Manager in western Iowa and other western states from 1983 through 1990.

In 1993 Mayne was promoted to corn production manager and plant manager at Dairyland’s Mt. Hope production facility.  His duties included overseeing all corn production throughout the Midwest, managing all daily activities at the Mt. Hope conditioning facility, working with research on various production projects, and working with Quality Assurance to continually investigate new ways of improving seed quality.

Mayne was named Operations Leader in May of 2006.  Mayne has full responsibility over all hybrid seed corn production and supervision of the production managers for alfalfa, corn, and soybeans.  He is a member of Dairyland’s Executive Committee.  Mayne also serves as Chairman of the Supply Chain committee, Chairman of the Safety Committee, and Mt. Hope production Facility Manager.

Mayne is based out of the Mt. Hope location.  He is married and resides in Mt. Hope, Wisconsin.

Hunt Wiley

North American Dairyland Soybean Breeding Leader

Hunt Wiley is North American Dairyland Soybean Breeding Leader.  He joined Dairyland Seed in 1980 with a background in plant pathology, initially focusing on diseases in corn and soybeans. Shortly thereafter he developed his own soybean breeding program.  He now works closely with the Dairyland Soybean Breeding Team and the growing Dow Agro-Sciences Soybean Breeding Department.  Hunt helped establish Dairyland’s Gibson City, Illinois, research facility in 1985, and Dairyland’s Otterbein, Indiana, research facility, where he now is stationed, in 1991. He received his M.S. in plant pathology at the University of Minnesota, and a B.S. in botany from Butler University in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Hunt has released many strong DSR soybean varieties over his tenure as a Dairyland soybean breeder and has authored several variety patents.   As well, Hunt has served in plant breeding research and seed industry associations - he was the Chairman of the Commercial Soybean Breeder’s Association, he served as President of the National Council of Commercial Plant Breeders and is a past Chairman of the Soybean Division and Soybean Basic Research Committee of the American Seed Trade Association.

Hunt joined Dairyland’s Executive Committee in 2005, expanding his involvement with overall company business strategy and direction.

Paul Sun

Special Project Scientist

Dr. Paul Sun is a 30-year veteran at Dairyland Seed Co., currently serving as Special Project Scientist. Dr. Sun has more than 35 years of experience in plant breeding. Since joining the company, he has led Dairyland’s plant breeders in their product development programs for hybrid alfalfa, soybeans and hybrid corn. He has authored numerous patents for Dairyland Seed. His major research accomplishment for the company’s alfalfa breeding program is the development of the patented msSunstra® hybrid alfalfa technology.

Dr. Sun is a past member of the National Alfalfa Variety Certification Review board, and past president of IDEALS, a U.S./Chinese association of agricultural scientists. He has also served on a United Nations-sponsored mission to China to explore their increased need for corn development programs.

Dr. Sun received his M.S. and Ph.D. in plant breeding and plant genetics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.  He is stationed at Dairyland’s Southern Wisconsin Research Station in Rock County near Clinton.

Ron Cornish

Alfalfa Strategy Leader

Ron Cornish serves as Alfalfa Strategy Leader for Dairyland Seed.  Ron joined Dairyland in March of 2009.   In this role he is working to further the market strength of Dairyland’s industry-leading alfalfa product line, in particular its patented HybriForce hybrid alfalfa products. Ron participates in Dairyland’s monthly Executive Committee meetings providing input across other aspects of the Dairyland business.

Ron grew up on a farm in Southern Minnesota and joined Dairyland with 13 years of experience in agribusiness at Dow AgroSciences including work with Phytogen cotton seed.  He has sales, marketing and management experience in both seed and agricultural chemical. 

Ron holds a B.S. in Agronomy and Agricultural Business from Iowa State University.

T.J. Strachota

Marketing Associate

TJ Strachota serves as a Marketing Associate for Dairyland Seed, a family owned seed company started by TJ’s great-grandfather in 1907.  He became a fourth generation active family member when he joined the family business.   TJ started at Dairyland as an intern during college summer breaks before moving into the Marketing Department full time in 2004 after graduation.  He has focused on the Marketing Department dealing with advertising, brand promotion, and new product development.  He has been involved in the design of Dairyland Dealer Sales and Marketing programs.  He has also been involved in various other Sales, Research, and Production projects. 

TJ participates in Dairyland’s monthly Executive Committee meetings.  TJ has participated in numerous negotiations with Dairyland Trait and genetic providers.

TJ is as a member of the Future Seed Executives (FuSE) Organizing Committee, an official sub-committee of the American Seed Trade Association's (ASTA) Management Skills Committee.

TJ received a B.A. in marketing from the University of Notre Dame.

Boyd Hoffmann

Regional Sales Manager

Boyd Hoffmann, Regional Sales Manager for Dairyland Seed, is responsible for sales in Dairyland’s Northern Region.  He works directly with the District Managers, Success Dealers and customers in Wisconsin, Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota.  He currently resides in Eastern Wisconsin with his wife Laura and their three sons.

Boyd was born and raised on a dairy/grain farm in Sheboygan County, Wisconsin.  After high school he earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Agriculture from UW-River Falls, with a minor in Agronomy.  Formerly a Crop Production Specialist for Cenex/Land O’ Lakes, Boyd has over 20 years of seed sales experience working for Croplan Genetics, Pioneer Hi-Bred and most recently, as a District Sales Manager for Dairyland Seed.  Boyd is a Certified Crop Adviser and has been licensed as a Commercial Pesticide Applicator.

Barry Sutton

Regional Sales Manager

Raised on a farm near Mendota, Illinois, Barry brings to Dairyland over 20 years of experience in production agriculture. Barry is a Certified Crop Advisor (CCA), with vast knowledge of the seed industry including corn, soybeans and alfalfa. Barry also has worked in the non-GMO export market. He joined Dairyland Seed in December 2002.

As the central region sales manager of the territories in Iowa, Illinois and southern Wisconsin, Barry is responsible for the day-to-day management of his sales force, which includes budgeting, market forecasting and asset allocations.

Barry holds a degree in agricultural economics from the University of Illinois. A life-long resident of Illinois, Barry resides in rural La Moille with his wife and two children.

Gary Freiburger

Regional Sales Manager

Gary Freiburger has worked for Dairyland Seed more than 20 years. Before joining Dairyland Seed, Gary worked in sales and managed a retail fertilizer and seed outlet in northwest Ohio and prior to that worked in sales for Northrup King in Michigan. Gary started with Dairyland Seed as a district sales manager in Indiana and after four years was promoted to regional manager covering Indiana, Ohio and Michigan. Gary has also participated in special projects such as serving on the DSR-STS soybean task force launch team.

As regional manager, Gary is responsible for overseeing and training the district sales managers in his region. He is responsible for helping to develop sales programs and policy for the sales group. Gary also sits on the new product review board to provide input on new products and product replacements. 

Gary holds a B.S. in business from Indiana University. Gary is Certified Crop Advisor and member of the American Society of Agronomy.

Ryan Mueller

Hybrid Corn Agronomy Specialist

Ryan Mueller is the Hybrid Corn Agronomy Specialist for Dairyland Seed.  He is responsible for product selection and product support for Dairyland Seed.  Mueller has been in the seed industry for sixteen years.  He previously served as the hybrid corn research coordinator for Dairyland Seed.  As a plant breeder, Mueller was instrumental in the development of Dairyland Seed’s highly successful HiD.F. corn silage line up.  He also established Dairyland’s HiD.F. on-farm strip plot testing program.

Mueller is a native of Clinton, Wisconsin, who spent many summers working as a research technician at the Dairyland Clinton location.  He received his Bachelor of Arts degree in history and psychology from Carroll College in Waukesha, WI.

Rod Moran

Product Agronomy Specialist

Rod Moran serves as the Product Agronomy Specialist for Dairyland Seed, a progressive company started in 1907 that specializes in the breeding, production, and sales of alfalfa, corn, and soybean seed. Joining Dairyland in 2004 as District Sales Manager overseeing 42 counties in Central/Southern Illinois, Rod provided sound agronomic advice, product recommendations, and customer support to a number of dealer and direct buyer accounts.

In his current role, Rod works directly with the Dairyland sales staff to help provide agronomic support and education to optimize corn, soybean, and alfalfa product placement. He is involved with research staff in order to gain the knowledge necessary to provide the most accurate recommendations for a wide variety of environments. He also works collaboratively with the research, production, and sales leaders to assist in aligning research and product development to meet Dairyland’s commercial objectives.

Rod completed his B.S. in Agronomy and an M. S. in Crop Science from the University of Illinois. He is a Certified Crop Advisor, member of the American Society of Agronomy, and the Midwest Forage Association.

Rod, his wife Beth, and their children reside in Forsyth, IL.

Adam Stoffel

Soybean Production Manager

Adam Stoffel serves as Soybean Production Manager for Dairyland Seed where he is responsible for all soybean production activities which include all conditioning and packaging for retail sales.  He also manages Dairyland's soybean distribution network throughout the midwest.  He currently serves as a member of Dairyland’s supply chain group.

Prior to his current role with the company Adam was a member of the warehouse staff at the West Bend, Wisconsin location.  He then joined the soybean production area, assisting with many of the same tasks he is now responsible for.

Chad Staudinger

Forage Product Manager

Chad Staudinger serves as Forage Product Manager for Dairyland Seed, a progressive company started in 1907 that specializes in the breeding, production, and sales of alfalfa, corn, and soybean seed.  Chad joined the company as a District Sales Manager in Wisconsin in 2004. He provided seed products and services to customers in Fond du Lac, Winnebago, Green Lake, Waushara, Marquette, and Adams counties.  Chad has experience with direct and retail sales to crop producers as well as agronomic consulting and crop planning.

Chad helps to develop and maintain existing on-farm strip trial product testing programs to gain knowledge of forage product performance in various environments.  He coordinates with the National Sales Leader, the Alfalfa Strategy Leader, Marketing, the Corn Product Development Agronomist and Alfalfa Research to design and implement a strategy that will stimulate interest and purchases in all of Dairyland’s forage products.  His primary focus is on Dairyland’s Hybrid Alfalfa and HiDF Corn Silage Products. 

Chad holds a B.S. degree from the department of Dairy Science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he specialized in dairy nutrition.  He is a member of the Midwest Forage Association, the Wisconsin Corn Growers Association, the Wisconsin Soybean Association, and the Wisconsin Farm Bureau.

Doug Gross

Alfalfa Operations Manager

Doug Gross, the alfalfa operations manager for Dairyland Seed, is responsible for coordinating the company’s alfalfa seed production, conditioning, packaging and shipping at the Homedale, Idaho, facility. His 20 years of experience has helped guide the Homedale team to efficiently prepare Dairyland alfalfa products for customers, maintaining the highest of seed quality standards and protecting our world-leading alfalfa genetics.

Doug currently holds a number of leadership positions within the seed industry. He is a board member of Idaho Eastern Oregon Seed Association and board member of Idaho Crop Improvement. He has held advisory positions in the Leadership Idaho Agriculture organization as well Idaho Crop Improvement Association’s alfalfa and clover seed advisory committee. Doug received his Bachelor of Science degree in agricultural economics from Washington State University.