OUR TEAM

DFO is the regulator and sole delegated authority for the marketing of milk in Ontario. DFO is also the Delegated Authority responsible for administering and enforcing the provisions of the Milk Act related to cow’s milk. Our accountability to the Ontario Farm Products Marketing Commission and Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness remains steadfast. Board members are elected by their fellow dairy farmers and serve for a four-year term. They typically spend one third of their working days on Dairy Farmers of Ontario-related business.

BOARD MEMBERS

REGION 1
Bart Rijke
Bart Rijke, a dairy farmer from Hammond, Ont., was elected to the Board of Dairy Farmers of Ontario (DFO) in 2016. He represents producers in Ottawa-Carleton, and the counties of Glengarry, Prescott and Russell. Mr. Rijke chairs the DFO Governance Committee, and serves on the Audit Committee, Markets and Allocation Committee, and Quota Committee, as well as the Ontario Advisory Committee for Milk, and the P5 Quota Committee. Mr. Rijke is also on the Dairy Farmers of Canada Board of Directors, currently serving as Chair of the Sustainability Committee. Mr. Rijke is a first-generation dairy farmer who began farming with his wife, Antje, after moving to Canada from the Netherlands. Today, they milk 150 cows and crop 800 acres with their oldest son, Geert, and his wife, Danielle. Bart and Antje have three children.
Ottawa-Carleton (twp. of Cumberland), Glengarry, Prescott and Russell
C:613-229-9461
E: Bart.Rijke@milk.org
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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 39 years. He and his family, along with farm staff, operate Carleton Corner Farms Ltd. on 3,000 acres and milk 575 cows. He currently serves on the DFO Audit committee, and the Research and Development, and Transportation committees, as well as the Ontario Advisory Committee for Transportation. Mr. Burnett has been a dairy producer committee member and has served on several farm organizations over the years. Mr. Burnett and his wife, Tracie, have one son and four daughters.
Dundas, Ottawa-Carleton (except for twp. of Cumberland), and Stormont
C:613-797-2517
E: Brian.Burnett@milk.org
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REGION 3 | VICE CHAIR
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 producers in Frontenac, Grenville, Lanark, Leeds and Renfrew. Mr. Wynands was elected vice-chair of the DFO board in January 2025. He also chairs the DFO Audit Committee, and serves on the Governance, and Markets and Allocation Committees, as well as the Ontario Advisory Committee for Milk, P5 Quota Committee, and the P5 Supervisory Body and P5 Markets Committee. Mr. Wynands graduated from the agricultural program at Kemptville College. He has a long history of leadership and service in the Canadian dairy industry, with the Grenville dairy producer committee and previously served on the Board of Directors with CanWest DHI. 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.
Frontenac, Grenville, Lanark, Leeds, and Renfrew
C:613-340-3749
E: John.Wynands@milk.org
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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 producers in Hastings, Lennox and Addington, Northumberland and Prince Edward. Mr. Petherick has a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture from the University of Guelph. He was chair of the Northumberland County Holstein Club and was a board member of the Campbellford Seymour Agricultural Society. In his role on the DFO Board, he serves on the Governance Committee, Markets and Allocation Committee, Quota Committee, and Marketing and Promotions Committee. He also serves on the Ontario Advisory Committee for Milk and P5 Quota Committee. Mr. Petherick is on the Dairy Farmers of Canada Board of Directors and also on the Animal Health Canada Board of Directors. 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 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.
Hastings, Lennox & Addington, Northumberland, and Prince Edward
C:705-653-6876
E: Adam.Petherick@milk.org
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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 producers in the City of Kawartha Lakes, Durham Region, Peterborough and York. In January 2025, Mr. Gordon was re-elected as 2nd vice-chair of the DFO board. He also chairs the Marketing and Promotions Committee, and serves on the Quota Committee, Research and Development Committee, and Transportation Committee; and is on the Ontario Advisory Committee for Transportation and the P5 Supervisory Body. In addition, he represents DFO on the Livestock Research Innovation Corporation board and the Toronto Stockyards Land Development Board. 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. Mr. Gordon runs Gordhill Farms, a 450-acre, family-run farm, milking 75 cows with robotics.
City of Kawartha Lakes, Durham Region, Peterborough, and York
C:705-879-3586
E: Don.Gordon@milk.org
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REGION 6
George Van Kampen
George Van Kampen, a dairy farmer from Amaranth, Ont., was elected to the Board of Dairy Farmers of Ontario (DFO) in 2022. He represents producers in the counties of Dufferin, Peel, Simcoe and Wellington. Mr. Van Kampen served on the local milk committee for 18 years and has been on numerous boards and committees over the years. He currently serves as chair of the Organic Producer Advisory Subcommittee. He also serves on the DFO 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 40 years. He and his wife have six children.
Dufferin, Peel, Simcoe and Wellington
C:519-940-2201
E: George.VanKampen@milk.org
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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 producers in the counties of Brant, Haldimand, Halton, Niagara, Norfolk and Wentworth. Mr. Fledderus chairs the DFO Quota Committee and also serves on the Audit Committee, the Markets and Allocation Committee, and the Quality Assurance Committee, as well as the Ontario Advisory Committees for Milk and Transportation, and the P5 Quota Committee. Mr. Fledderus and his family have been in the dairy business in Ontario since 1958 and is currently milking 120 purebred Holsteins.
Brant, Haldimand, Halton, Niagara, Norfolk and Wentworth
C:905-570-2631
E: Albert.Fledderus@milk.org
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REGION 8
Pete Overdevest
Pete Overdevest, a dairy farmer from Bright, Ont., was elected to the Board of Dairy Farmers of Ontario in 2023. He represents producers in the counties of Waterloo and Oxford. Mr. Overdevest was on the Oxford dairy producer committee for seven years and has served on other agricultural boards and committees in the past. Mr. Overdevest serves on the DFO Governance, Quota, and Transportations Committees. 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.
Oxford and Waterloo
C:519–532-6077
E: Pete.Overdevest@milk.org
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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 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 4-H dairy club leader. Ms. Morrison chairs the DFO Quality Assurance Committee and Research and Development Committee. She also serves on the Marketing and Promotions committees. She also is on the Ontario Advisory Committee for Milk and on the P5 Pool Committee for Raw Milk Quality. She is a Director on the Dairy Farmers of Canada Board and Chairs the proAction Committee. 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. Ms. Morrison has completed the Advanced Agricultural Leadership Program (Class 19), offered by the Rural Ontario Institute. Ms. Morrison, along with her family and staff, milks around 200 registered Holsteins and farms on 400 acres.
Elgin, Essex, Kent, Lambton, and Middlesex
C:519-320-9249
E: Vicky.Morrison@milk.org
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REGION 10
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 producers in the counties of Huron and Perth. Mr. Boersen served in various roles on the Perth County dairy producer committee for nine years, before being elected to serve as a director of Gay Lea Foods for five years. Mr. Boersen chairs the DFO Markets and Allocation Committee and serves on the Organic Producer Advisory Sub-Committee, Audit, Quality Assurance, and Research and Development committees. He is also on the Ontario Advisory Committee for Milk. Mr. Boersen operates Boern View Farms Ltd. with his family and staff.
Huron and Perth
C:519-272-5855
E: Roger.Boersen@milk.org
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REGION 11 | CHAIR
Mark Hamel
Mark Hamel was elected to the Board of Dairy Farmers of Ontario (DFO) in 2018. He represents producers in the counties of Bruce and Grey. Mr. Hamel was re-elected chair of the DFO board in January 2025. He currently chairs the Ontario Advisory Committees for Milk and Transportation and serves on the P5 Supervisory Body and Markets Committee. He contributed to the development of the Indonesia Dairy Co-operative Initiative by travelling to Indonesia to meet with government officials and dairy representatives in summer 2014. Mr. Hamel is a graduate of the Advanced Agriculture Leadership Program - Class 8. Mr. Hamel (fourth generation) and his wife, Cathy, are partners with their son Matt 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.
Bruce and Grey
C:519-378-3460
E: Mark.Hamel@milk.org
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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 producers in the districts of Northern Ontario and Haliburton. Mr. Runnalls chairs the DFO Transportation Committee and serves on the Audit, and Quality Assurance committees. He is also on the Ontario Advisory Committee for Transportation and on the P5 Pool Committees for Raw Milk Quality and Transportation. Mr. Runnalls is a second-generation dairy farmer and the fourth generation to own the original farm. He and his family milk 65 registered Holstein cows and grow mainly alfalfa and barley with some canola cash cropped on 1000 acres. In addition, the family has a flock of 250 ewe sheep, a small herd of beef cattle and sells replacement cattle and does custom work.
Districts of Northern Ontario and Haliburton
C:705-679-4263
E: Steve.Runnalls@milk.org
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