Our Team

Region 1

Bart Rijke

Bart Rijke, a dairy farmer from Hammond, Ontario, was elected to the Board of Dairy Farmers of Ontario (DFO) in 2016. He represents the producers in Ottawa-Carleton, and the counties of Glengarry, Prescott, and Russell. Rijke was elected Vice-Chair in January 2019.

Mr. Rijke chairs the Governance, and serves on the Audit Committee, Markets and Allocation Committee, Quota Committee, and Quality Assurance Committee, as well as the Ontario Advisory Committee for Milk and the P5 Pool Committee for P5 Quota.

Mr. Rijke is a first-generation dairy farmer that began farming with his wife, Antje, after moving to Canada from the Netherlands. Today, they milk 150 cows and crop 600 acres with their oldest son, Geert, and his wife, Danielle. Bart and Antje have three children.

Region 2

Brian Burnett

Brian Burnett, a dairy farmer from Marionville, Ont., was elected to the Board of Dairy Farmers of Ontario (DFO) in 2023. He represents producers in Dundas, Ottawa-Carleton (except for twp. of Cumberland), and Stormont.

Mr. Burnett has been in the dairy business for more than 37 years. He and his family, along with farm staff, operate Carleton Corner Farms Ltd. on 3,000 acres and milk 575 cows.

Mr. Burnett has been a dairy producer committee member and has served on several farm organizations over the years. He currently serves on DFO’s Audit and Communications and Government Relations committees, as well as the Training and Development Subcommittee and Research and Development committee.

Mr. Burnett and his wife, Tracie, have one son and four daughters.

Region 3 

John Wynands

John Wynands, a second-generation dairy farmer from Cardinal, Ont., was elected to the Board of Dairy Farmers of Ontario (DFO) in 2018. He represents the producers in Frontenac, Grenville, Lanark, Leeds and Renfrew.

Mr. Wynands graduated from the agricultural program at Kemptville College. He has been involved with the Grenville Dairy Producer Committee and has previously served on the Board of Directors with CanWest DHI.

Mr. Wynands chairs the Communications and Government Relations Committee and serves on the Audit Committee, Governance Committee, Ontario Advisory Committee for Milk and the Markets and Allocation Committee.

Gerann Holstein is a family-run farm that milks 250 cows on 1,500 acres of farmland.  Gerann Holsteins was awarded a master breeder shield in 2018.
 

Region 4 

Adam Petherick 

Adam Petherick, a dairy farmer from Campbellford, Ont., was elected to the Board of Dairy Farmers of Ontario (DFO) in 2020. He represents the producers in Hastings, Lennox and Addington, Northumberland and Prince Edward. Mr. Petherick was elected 2nd Vice-Chair in January 2022.

Mr. Petherick has a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture from the University of Guelph. He is Chair of the Northumberland County Holstein Club and is previously a Board Member of the Campbellford Seymour Agricultural Society.

Mr. Petherick was a recipient of the Ontario Dairy Youth award and was selected to be the Ontario delegate for the Future Leaders Program in 2017.

Mr. Petherick Chairs the Research and Development Committee. He also serves on the Governance Committee, Markets and Allocation Committee, Quota Committee, and Marketing and Promotions Committee; as well as the Ontario Advisory Committee for Milk, P5 Quota and P5 Supervisory Body.

Mr. Petherick is a seventh-generation dairy farmer at Almerson Farms Ltd. and manages the business with his wife, Amy, and his parents, Evan and Marilyn. They milk 75 Holsteins and crop 400 acres of scenic land in northern Northumberland County.

Region 5 | 2nd Vice-Chair 

Don Gordon

Don Gordon, a dairy farmer from Cannington, Ont., was elected to the Board of Dairy Farmers of Ontario (DFO) in 2019. He represents the producers in the City of Kawartha Lakes, Durham Region, Peterborough, and York.

Mr. Gordon has vast experience in the dairy sector. He has supported dairy producer committees across Ontario and was part of a dairy committee that developed Maple the Cow, a life-size milking cow exhibit. In addition, he represents DFO on the Livestock Research Innovation Corporation board and the Toronto Stockyards Land Development Board.

Mr. Gordon chairs the Marketing and Promotions Committee. He serves on the Audit Committee, Communications and Government Relations Committee, Quota Committee, Transportation Committee; he also is on the Ontario Advisory Committee for Transportation.

Mr. Gordon runs Gordhill Farms, a 450-acre, family-run farm, milking 75 cows with robotics. 
 

Region 6 

George Van Kampen

George Van Kampen, a dairy farmer from Amaranth, Ontario, was elected to the Board of Dairy Farmers of Ontario (DFO) in 2022. He represents milk producers in the counties of Dufferin, Peel, Simcoe, and Wellington.

Mr. Van Kampen has served on the milk committee for 18 years and has been on numerous boards and committees over the years. He currently serves on the Quality Assurance Committee, Research and Development Committee and the Marketing and Promotions Committee, as well as the Ontario Advisory Committee for Milk.

Mr. Van Kampen and his family have been dairy farming for more than 35 years. Mr. Van Kampen and his wife have six children.

Region 7 

Albert Fledderus

Albert Fledderus, a dairy farmer from Lowbanks, Ont., was elected to the Board of Dairy Farmers of Ontario (DFO) in 2015. He represents milk producers in the counties of Brant, Haldimand, Halton, Niagara, Norfolk, and Wentworth.

Mr. Fledderus chairs the Quota Committee and also serves on the Audit Committee, the Markets and Allocation Committee, the Quality Assurance Committee and the Transportation Committee, as well as the Ontario Advisory Committee for Transportation and the P5 Pool Committees P5 Quota Committee.

Mr. Fledderus and his family have been in the dairy business in Ontario for more than 35 years, milking 120 purebred Holsteins.

Region 8 

Pete Overdevest

Pete Overdevest, a dairy farmer from Bright, Ontario, was elected to the Board of Dairy Farmers of Ontario in 2023 and began his term as of January 2024. He represents milk producers in the counties of Waterloo and Oxford.
 
Mr. Overdevest has been on the Oxford Dairy Producer Committee for seven years and have served on other agricultural board and committees in the past as well. 
 
Mr. Overdevest serves on the Quota Committee, Governance Committee and Communications, Training and Development Committee and Government Relations Committee.
 
Mr. Overdevest and his family, which includes his wife Jodi and five children, own Terra Nova Farms Ltd., where they milk 280 cows in five robotic milk systems on 650 acres of land. 
 

Region 9

Vicky Morrison

Vicky Morrison, a dairy farmer in Essex County was elected to the Board of Dairy Farmers of Ontario (DFO) in 2020.  She represents the milk producers in Elgin, Essex, Kent, Lambton and Middlesex. Ms. Morrison previously served as Chair of Essex-Kent Dairy Producer Committee and is active on the Essex-Kent Holstein club committee, as well as being an Essex County 4H dairy club leader.

Before moving to Canada in 2007, Ms. Morrison was a lecturer in dairy herd management at the College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise (CAFRE Greenmount Campus), in Northern Ireland. This experience has served her well in chairing the Training and Development Sub-committee.

Ms. Morrison also chairs the Quality Assurance Committee and serves on the Communications and Government Relations Committee, Research and Development Committee, and the Marketing and Promotions Committee. She also is on the Ontario Advisory Committee for Milk and on the P5 Pool Committee for P5 Raw Milk Quality and represents DFO on Dairy Farmers of Canada’s Board.

Ms. Morrison has completed the Advanced Agricultural Leadership Program (Class 19), offered by the Rural Ontario Institute and, along with her family and staff, milks around 200 registered Holsteins and farms on 400 acres.

Region 10 | Vice-Chair

Roger Boersen

Roger Boersen, a dairy farmer from Stratford, Ont., was elected to the Board of Dairy Farmers of Ontario (DFO) in 2022. He represents milk producers in the counties of Huron and Perth.

He served in various roles on the Perth County Dairy Committee for nine years, before becoming the Director of Gay Lea Foods for the last five years.

Mr. Boersen chairs the Markets and Allocation Committee and serves on the Governance Committee, Quota Committee, Research and Development Committee, and Transportation Committee, and is also on the Ontario Advisory Committee for Transportation.

Mr. Boersen operates Boern View Farms Ltd. with his family and staff.

Region 11 | Chair

Mark Hamel

Mark Hamel was elected to the Board of Dairy Farmers of Ontario (DFO) in 2018. He represents milk producers in the counties of Bruce and Grey.

Mr. Hamel contributed to the development of the Indonesia Dairy Co-operative Initiative by travelling to Indonesia to meet with government officials and dairy representatives in the summer of 2014. Mark is a graduate of the Advanced Agriculture Leadership Program - Class 8.

He currently chairs the Audit Committee and serves on the Communication and Government Relations Committee. He also is on the Ontario Advisory Committee for Milk and on the P5 Pool Committee for P5 Supervisory Body and Markets. He also serves on the boards of Dairy Farmers of Canada, Farm & Food Care Ontario and the Agricultural Adaptation Council.

Mr. Hamel and his wife, Cathy, are partners with their son Matt (fourth generation) and daughter-in-law Larissa to operate Harmony Holsteins west of Elmwood, Ont. Together, they milk 150 purebred Holsteins and farm 900 acres.

Mark and Cathy have three children and seven grandchildren.

Region 12

Steve Runnalls

Steve Runnalls, a dairy farmer from Thornloe, Ont., was elected to the Board of Dairy Farmers of Ontario (DFO) in 2012.  He represents milk producers in the districts of Northern Ontario and Haliburton.

Mr. Runnalls serves on the Quality Assurance Committee and Transportation Committee. He is also on the Ontario Advisory Committee for Transportation and on the P5 Pool Committee for P5 Raw Milk Quality and P5 Transportation.

Mr. Runnalls and his family milk approximately 40 registered Holstein cows and grow mainly alfalfa and barley with some canola cash cropped on 800 acres, 560 workable. In addition, the family sells replacement cattle and does custom work. Mr. Runnalls is the second generation in dairy farming and the fourth generation to own the original farm.

Cheryl Smith

Patrice Dubé

Rey Moisan

Rosa Checchia

Kristin Benke

Arlene Minott