Myron Voth
Vice Chairman
District 1

Myron Voth, Walton, and his wife, Phyllis Regier, operate an 85-cow dairy and diversified crop farm in Marion and Harvey counties. Their primary MKC location is Walton. Myron was elected to his second term on the board of directors in 2006 and currently serves as vice-chairman.

Myron believes cooperatives are vital to the market structure. By buying grain and providing inputs, cooperatives provide a fair market structure to producers. The successful coop is one which provides a market for purchasing or selling at a fair price and which returns a profit to producers and owner members, while the company makes a profit as well, he believes. Cooperatives are being challenged with rising costs and flat market prices and ever more complicated input needs of its members, he says. He would like to see the coop develop strategies to meet those needs and also invest money in key facilities so the coop can continue to be an efficient grain handler. Myron believes, the board's role should be one of oversight of management, policy setting and serving as an information feedback loop.

Cecil Wiebe
District 1

Cecil Wiebe, Burns, and his wife, Jacque, have a diversified farm operation raising corn, milo, wheat, feeder cattle and hogs. Their son, Josh, farms with them. Their primary MKC location is Burns. Cecil was elected to his first term representing District 3 in 2004. Prior to that, he served on the MKC Board as an appointed member from Farmers Grain Cooperative when the two cooperatives merged. He currently is serving as secretary of the board.

Cecil believes that local cooperatives serve a vital role in the rural economy and that it is important that the local coop stays profitable so it will be there for producers in the future. However, meeting the needs of the coop's customers and members should not be sacrificed to gain that profitability, he believes. The coop must always be alert to new services and ventures which could be beneficial for its members and every effort should be made to gain efficiencies in the coop's operations. Cecil is a detail person who believes board members must consider how a decision will affect the whole cooperative, not just an individual board member's own farm or location.

Duane Johnson
District 2

Duane and his wife, Carol, operate a diversified dry land and irrigated farm and cow-calf operation located between Lindsborg & Marquette. He has served as chairmen of the Farmers Union Elevator board at Lindsborg. Most recently, Duane served on the MKC board from 2000-2009 and was re-elected in 2011.

Duane believes the key issues facing MKC today are keeping the cooperative profitable and protecting the equity of all our members while meeting the challenge of upgrading grain handling facilities. Strategic planning for short and long-term goals is very important in order to adapt to change and new challenges that face the coop. MKC serves a variety of producers, from small to very large. He believes we need a coop that can meet the needs of all its patrons. Duane believes the primary responsibility of the board of directors is to hire the CEO, establish operating policies and set objectives for the coop. He feels attending educational courses is an excellent source for directors to not only learn strategies that other organizations are implementing, but also to share ideas and gain insight from other coop board members from around the country.

David Mills
Secretary
District 2

David Mills operates a diversified grain farm which is primarily dryland, and a cow/calf herd near Abilene. David was appointed to the board of directors as an associate board member in February, 2008.

David believes the on-going consolidation in agriculture has had a big impact on ag producers. This same consolidation is happening with the suppliers of our inputs and buyers of our products which makes it even more important to have our cooperative organization. He believes members benefit by being able to build the coop into an organization that provides all of the critical needs of the farm operation. Members also have the added bonus of sharing the profits at the end of the year.

David believes that to further build MKC requires board members to guide and direct the cooperative to make sure it grows and changes to meet the ever-changing needs of the ag industry.

CJ Blew
Chairman
District 3

CJ Blew, Pretty Prairie, and his wife, Becky, operate a dryland wheat and irrigated corn and soybean farm along with his father and brother in the Castleton-Pretty Prairie area. They also have a cow-calf operation. The operation's primary MKC location is Castleton, with much of the operation's business also done in Haven. CJ was elected to his first term on the board of directors in 2005 and currently serves as chairman.

CJ believes local cooperatives have an important role because they can offer the service and convenience that often isn't available from independent companies. However, that also means that today's cooperatives must be more competitive with independent companies than they may have been in the past to keep member business. To become more competitive, CJ believes it is important to eliminate inefficiencies between locations and take full advantage of recent mergers by viewing MKC as one company rather than each branch as a separate entity. Board members should serve as a listening body for the members and strive to have the right people in place to carry out the day-to-day management decisions, he believes.

Jason Gaeddert
District 3

Jason Gaeddert and his wife, Kristy, are involved in a diversified grain operation with his father, uncle and cousins. Jason was elected to the board of directors in May, 2007.

Jason believes today's cooperatives must be competitive with other agri-businesses in providing the best products and services around. He sees the cooperative's role as a provider of agronomy products, fuel, fertilizers and other services necessary for farmers to successfully grow a crop. Key to a successful cooperative is the people associated with it. Having talented, knowledgeable staff is important, but for the coop to be successful, it is also important to have the support of the patrons. He believes that the coop is only as good as its employees and its patrons. Jason believes the board's role is to assist in guiding the direction of the company so that it is an even better cooperative in the future.

Keith Becker
At Large

Keith Becker, Galva, was elected in 2005 to his first term on the board of directors representing District 2. Keith and his wife, Esther, primarily raise wheat with some milo production. He also does some custom farming and harvesting and is employed by Empire Township in McPherson County. His primary MKC location is Galva, with some grain hauled to Conway.

Keith believes the cooperative system's strength in today's agricultural economy lies in the trust factor which comes from personal contact between local location employees and the customers. Having access to a country elevator is a tremendous advantage for the smaller farmer, he believes, and it is important that farmers support the country elevators to keep them viable. Efficient utilization of employees throughout the year is necessary in a business where much of the work is seasonal. He also believes that equipment maintenance should be a priority of the coop. The role of a board member should be to listen and make wise decisions based on proper and accurate information, Keith believes. Board members should also allow managers to do their jobs while serving as a check to ensure the coop's goals are being accomplished.

Randy Ellwood
At Large

Randy Elwood and his wife, Nancy, live near Windom where they operate a diversified grain farm and have a cow-calf operation. Randy was appointed to the MKC Board of Directors as an Associate Member in the fall of 2006.

Randy believes that being mindful of the needs of the coop's customers, while balancing its own input costs in an efficient manner, is one of the marks of a successful coop. Developing strategies to meet those needs, particularly in ensuring an available supply of fertilizer is an issue the coop will need to deal with in the future. He believes the primary responsibility of the board of directors is to oversee the management, voice opinions about issues and help determine the future direction of the company. To do this, he feels the board must work together to reach consensus on what is best for the company, not just the individual.

Neal Beam
At Large

Neal Beam operates a diversified grain (dryland and irrigated) operation in the McPherson area. His primary MKC locations are Groveland and McPherson. Neal previously served as a member of MKC's board of directors from 1991 to 2000 and was re-elected in 2010.

Neal believes as cooperatives become more complex organizations - both in size and scope of business activity - board members must take a proactive role in helping to strategically direct the cooperative to operate for the benefit of all its members. He believes representing all of the membership is a continuous challenge given the increasing diversity among MKC’s customers and the broader geographic area represented by the company at large. Neal also believes that in an intensely competitive environment, cooperatives must work harder than ever to earn their patrons' business.

He believes directors must maintain a progressive attitude in responding to new ideas and concepts that contribute to meeting members' needs and to the growth and success of the coop.