2017 Meritorious Service Award

Stacy Dohle

In her personal life and throughout her professional career, Stacy Dohle has done much to promote agriculture and dairy, not only in Missouri, but also throughout the Midwest.

Stacy was raised on a diversified crop and beef cattle farm south of Kansas City near Archie, Missouri.  She attended Missouri State University and graduated in 1995 with a bachelor’s degree in agricultural communications. After college, she started her career at KTTS radio in Springfield, Missouri as Farm News Director reporting farm news and markets 12 times per day.

In 2000, Stacy joined the Midwest Dairy Association, a 10-state regional checkoff organization of the dairy industry. Today, as Senior Industry Relations Manager, she is responsible for leading and developing industry information efforts to help inspire consumer confidence and trust in dairy farmers and their on-farm production practices.

In the past six years, Stacy has been involved in over 300 dairy farmer presentations and/or farm tours with key influencer groups to help build trust and understanding about dairy farming. In addition to the consumer confidence programs, Stacy prepares dairy farmers with tools and training to “tell their dairy story” as they engage in thoughtful conversations with consumers.

Stacy also manages the Gerken Dairy Center at the Missouri State Fair. The 2018 State Fair will mark her 18th fair. She works to create a positive dairy experience for fair goers, oversees the butter sculpture creation, hosts dairy organization meetings, visits with state dignitaries, and also manages to keep up with fair goers demands for ice cream on hot August Missouri days.

Stacy is a charter member of Missouri Farmers Care and a member of several organizations including the National Association of Farm Broadcasters, the National Agri-Marketing Association, the American Jersey Cattle Association, and the St. Louis Agribusiness Club. She has also served as a member on multiple state level agriculture committees.

Promoting agriculture and the dairy industry through a partnership with the St. Louis Cardinals’ baseball team has been of special interest to Stacy. She has been instrumental in the St. Louis Cardinals’ growth poster which features a player with a “milk moustache” and is distributed out to kids at a game. In addition, she is a part of the Cardinals’ Race to the Plate Partnership.

In his recommendation letter, David Jones, dairy manager and judging team coach at Oklahoma State University, writes, “Stacy promotes dairy and agriculture with everything she does. Every time we need help with a national show, she is always willing to help…There is no question that she promotes Missouri, but it is important for the committee to realize that her promotional efforts reach many states. I know that Stacy is deserving of any honor, but especially one that honors service to the dairy industry.”

“People today want to understand more about where their food comes from and how it is produced,” said Lucas Lentsch, Midwest Dairy CEO. “In her role at Midwest Dairy, Stacy brings a deep passion and commitment to her work in helping dairy farmers share their stories with others to build and inspire trust.”

Stacy, along with her husband Dean and son Grant, live on a small farm of 200 acres near Pleasant Hope, Missouri where they raise beef cattle and milk 50 registered Jersey cattle. They compete in state, regional, and national shows with their Jersey cattle. Stacy says she is most proud to be a farmer’s daughter, a dairy farmer’s wife, and a mom to a great farm kid!