Your
Cooperative Council
As a GENEX member, the council is your elected voice in co-op leadership. They are dairy and beef cattle producers – just like you – who are loyal to the cooperative and dedicated to the long-term best interest of this organization and its membership.
Each council director is elected to represent a membership tier (tiers are based on the amount of business a member does with the cooperative) and among their roles is to influence membership and governance decisions, contribute to open and collaborative dialogue with GENEX executives, and serve on committees related to co-op operations and growth.
2021 GENEX Council
These fellow producers have been elected to ensure that your cooperative remains relevant to its progressive dairy and beef members and customers around the globe and that GENEX continues to evolve to best serve future generations.
Read on to learn more about each council member, their dairy or beef operation, their agriculture leadership involvement and their dedication to your cooperative.
Tier 1
Jody Schaap, Woodstock, Minnesota
Jody, her husband and their three children dairy farmed until March 2018 and today have a small cow/calf operation with about 50 cows. They also custom feed pigs and dairy heifers and farm about 1,800 acres of primarily corn and soybeans. She brings financial industry experience to the council, as she is employed full time at a local bank. Jody is also active in her community as a fire fighter, first responder and basketball coach. She has served on the GENEX Council since 2016.
Bill Zimmerman, Foley, Minnesota
Bill and his wife operate One Penny Ranch, a seedstock beef operation in east central Minnesota. They breed 120 females annually using A.I. and embryo transfer to produce Charolais, Simmental, SimAngus™ and Angus commercial cattle. Bill holds master’s degrees in animal breeding and genetics and business administration and has experience serving as an Extension livestock specialist in Utah, Minnesota and Poland. He has also been involved in many state and national beef associations. Bill was first elected to the GENEX Council in 2015.
Tier 2
Israel Handy, St. Johnsville, New York
Israel and his family operate a 100-cow dairy in central New York and raise all their young stock. The Handy family does some beef on dairy breeding and raises their bull calves to finished steers as well. All cattle are bred 100% to GENEX sires and have been for many years. The family also has an on-farm store where they sell meat and eggs. In addition, they grow all their own feed and market extra hay, corn and soybeans. Israel served as a GENEX delegate for 10 years before being elected to the council in 2017.
Bobby Robertson, Tahlequah, Oklahoma
Bobby is a fourth-generation cattle producer who runs 70 registered Angus females and 225 commercial females. The registered herd is total A.I. and all sires used are from GENEX. In the commercial herd, he raises Herefords to create F1 black baldies. He also owns a cattle breeding service company. Bobby is a member of the American Angus Association and past president of the Northeast Oklahoma Angus Association. He has served on the GENEX Council since 2009 and is the 1st Vice President.
James Loomis, Fabius, New York
James and his family milk about 200 cows, primarily Holsteins, in central New York. The family, including eight children, also raises all their own herd replacements and grows and harvests their own crops. They are loyal members using 100% GENEX semen and many Herd Care Line products as well. James served as a GENEX delegate for over 25 years, served on delegate committees several times and was elected to the GENEX Council in 2021.
Tier 3
Casey Dugan, Casa Grande, Arizona
Casey owns Desperado Dairy, a southern Arizona farm with 1,200 Holsteins and 100 Angus x Holstein cattle. He is also a partner in Dugan Feeds, an operation that feeds 7,000 animals, and Dugan Brothers, a harvesting company covering 2,000+ acres. Casey is also active in the ag industry, completing a state rural leadership program and being an active member of the United Dairyman of Arizona Co-op, Farm Bureau and the Arizona Milk Producers. He was elected as a GENEX delegate in 2014 and was first elected to the Council in 2019.
Tony Bakeberg, Waverly, Minnesota
Tony hails from a 230-cow dairy farm located west of Minneapolis. He operates the dairy along with his parents, brother and sister. They also raise all their own replacement heifers and feed out all bull calves to market steers. In addition, the Bakebergs farm about 1,000 acres, which enables them to grow all their own forages and grains for the herd plus have acreage to cash crop and sell commodities. Tony was newly elected to the GENEX Council in 2021.
Tier 4
John Ruedinger, Van Dyne, Wisconsin
John and his wife, Karen, and their daughter and son-in-law, Jamie and David Zappa, are the owners of Ruedinger Farms in east central Wisconsin. The dairy is home to 1,500 cows and includes 1,550 acres of cropland, growing corn, soybeans, alfalfa and wheat. In addition to use of GENEX genetics and products, the Ruedingers engage their local GENEX consultant for genetic selection, reproduction management and herd replacement or mating strategies. John is involved in many agricultural organizations – like the Midwest Forage Council, National Forage Association, Farm Bureau and others. He has served on the board of directors and councils of GENEX predecessors and today is the GENEX Council president.
Anthony Machado, Turlock, California
Anthony is a partner on his family’s dairy in the central valley of California, alongside his parents. The dairy includes about 7,500 total head cattle with 3,800 of those being mature cows. The herd is 95% Holsteins with the remainder Jerseys. The Machado family relies on GENEX for both genetics and A.I. service. Anthony is a graduate of the University of Southern California with a bachelor’s degree in business administration, focused on operations and executive management. He strives for industry involvement, having served as a GENEX delegate for two terms and currently serving as a delegate for Dairy Farmers of America. Anthony was newly elected to the GENEX Council in 2021.
