Arie Jan de Jong, along with his wife Julie and children Megan, 19, Erica, 17, Joshua, 14 operate de Jong Family Farms and Providence Dairy near Francesville, Indiana.   The newer dairy milks 3,500 cows.  All the calves are raised at Providence Dairy from birth to 5 months of age and then are sent to a custom grower.  The dairy farming operation raises corn and wheat in rotation along with alfalfa to feed the cows.  Arie and his family are members of Bethel Church.  Arie’s family has been involved in dairy business and milk processing for several generations.

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Hello, my name is Jacob Achen, and I am a dairy producer from Western Indiana. I am the site manager at Warren Dairy in Williamsport, IN which is part of Benton Group Dairy. I have been involved with dairy my entire life from my family’s tie stall dairy farm in central MN, to my college career and internships, to where I work now with Benton Group. My wife, Jayne, and I live in Attica IN, she is practicing lawyer that focuses on wildlife and wetland litigation. We are involved in our community by judging the dairy shows at our local county fairs and look forward to making more connections throughout the Indiana Dairy Community when opportunities arise. We also enjoy bike riding in the summertime and skiing in the wintertime. I am excited to be a part of the Indiana Dairy Producers Board of Directors to help be an advocate for Indiana Dairy Producers and to help make a difference to continue to grow the dairy industry in Indiana.