Meet Our Dairy Team

Julie Abrahamzon,
Commercial Director

• 15+ years in the dairy industry

• B.S. Business Administration and Management, University of Minnesota

• M.B.A., Kansas State University

Julie has experience in leading high performing teams, business development, strategy and financial management. She has a deep passion for delivering value to dairy customers and developing her teammates.

Amelie Mainville,
Nutrition & Tech Services Director

• 15+ years in the dairy industry

• B.S.c. Animal Biology, Guelph University 

• M.S.c. Dairy Nutrition, Guelph University 

Amelie is passionate about people management, dairy nutrition, and technology. Her experience paired with her interest makes her an expert in automated milking systems and data consolidation.

Marc Sholder,
Sales Leader - West

• 18+ years in animal nutrition

• B.S. Animal Science, Penn State University

Marc specializes in strategic planning, sales coaching, talent development, and team building. He also focuses on developing customer experience by providing nutrition and management consulting services to large western dairies.  

Steve Shaw,
Sales Leader - East

• 33+ years in animal nutrition

• B.S. Animal Science, Penn State University

Steve manages and coaches the team that serves our eastern dairy customers. Working closely together with all stakeholders, Steve prioritizes the success of the customer. 

Jen Wiley,
Dairy Sales Manager, Young Animal

• 11+ years in the dairy industry
• B.S Animal Science -UW Platteville
• M.B.A. UW-Whitewater

Jenn leads the calf and heifer team by guiding long term strategy, developing new business, and meeting customer needs.

Josh Hushon,
Dairy Strategic Marketing Manager

• 20+ years in the dairy industry
• B.S. Agriculture Business Management, Penn State University

Josh leads a team responsible for the crafting the North American dairy strategy and portfolio, including new offerings and capabilities that are aligned to bring value to our customers and industry.

Kate Cowles,
Dairy Dairy Innovation Lead

• 20+ years in the dairy industry
• B.S. Veterinary and Animal Science, Univ of MA- Amherst
• M.S. Animal Science, University of NH
• Ph.D. Animal Science, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign 

Kate leads a team focused on customer-driven innovation, exploring new products and offerings to support the success of our customers and the industry as a whole.  

Roger Eytzen,
Sales Manager

• Western US

• +41 years in animal nutrition industry

Roger leads a customer focused team in the Pacific North West. His strengths as a manager allow him to develop his people so they can offer the best support to their customers. Together Roger and his team work to grow the business while simultaneously supporting strategic customers to help them improve profits.

Matt Sheffer,
Sales Manager

• Eastern US - New York

• +7 Years in animal nutrition industry

• B.S. Finance, State University of New York at Oswego

Matt leads a team comprised of dairy nutritionists, consultants, and technical support where he helps them grow and retain their business across the state. He also works closely with local and corporate risk management teams to optimize financial return to the dairy producer.

Andy Young,
Sales Manager

• Eastern US

• Manage Mid-Atlantic, East

• +22 Years in business development roles

• B.S. Economics, University of Delaware

• Cornell Dairy Fellows Program

Andy is an expert in business development, focusing on recruiting and coaching. He also excels in creating strategic partnerships, process optimization, and business intelligence.

Ashley Audet,
Sales Manager

• Eastern US - Vermont

• +11 Years in the dairy industry

• B.S. Animal Science, Cornell University

Ashley works with our team of nutritionists in the field and at the plants to prioritize our customer. Her goal is to ensure that our programs meet the customer needs and that her team always delivers.

Robbie Shaw,
Sales Manager

• Western PA and Southern States

• +11 Years in the dairy industry

• B.S. Animal Science, Cornell University

Robbie manages existing customer relationships, while also developing strategies and plans to acquire prospects and better serve the industry. He works closely with the tech team and mills to enhance our customers experience.

Jody Whitmore,
Sales Manager

• Midwest US

Mac Campbell,
Dairy Technical Services Manager

• Pennsylvania

• 5+ Years in the dairy industry

• B.S. Animal Science, University of Maryland, College Park

• Ph.D. Dairy Science, University of Vermont/William H. Miner Institute

Mac specializes in on-farm troubleshooting, nutritional consulting and training, feed and bunk management, component production assessment, and additive evaluation. He used his skills in these areas to support our dairy consultants, their customers, and the overall success of all stakeholders.

Tom Kichura,
Dairy Technical Specialist

• Vermont

• 40+ Years in the dairy industry

• B.S. Wildlife Biology, SUNY Environmental Science and Forestry

• M.S. Animal Nutrition and Veterinary Physiology, Iowa State

• Ph.D. Cornell Animal Science, minor in Ag Econ

Tom provides tech support to US dairy focused consultants with emphasis on Northeast. His specialties are nutrition, forages, and dairy business and financial management.

Jay Giesy,
Dairy Technical Specialist & Nutrition Lead

• New York

• 2+ years in the dairy industry

• B.S. Dairy Science, University of Florida

• M.S. Animal Nutrition, University of Idaho

• Ph.D. Animal Physiology and Nutrition, University of Idaho

Jay is an expert in providing technical training and continuing education to our team. His focus on ration formulation and herd records analysis assists the team in supporting their customers and their herds.

Chris Canale,
Sr. Dairy Technical Services Lead

• Pennslyvania

• +30 years in dairy technology

• B.S. Animal Science, Cornell University

• M.S. Animal Nutrition, Maine

• Ph.D. Animal Nutrition, Penn State

• Post Doc USDA

Chris provides insight into many areas including nutrition, research, training, NDF digestibility kinetics, starch digestibility kinetics, and amino acid nutrition.

Brian Strang,
Sr. Dairy Technical Services Principal

• Minnesota & Wisconsin

• +30 years in dairy industry

• B.S. Animal Science, UW-Platteville

• Ph.D. Nutritional Sciences, UW-Madison

Brian offers expertise on nutrition and the implementation of Cargill Systems related to nutrition to our team and our customers.

Chris Dschaak,
Sr. Dairy Technical Specialist

• Western US

• +15 years in dairy industry

• M.S. Dairy Science, Utah State University

• Ph.D. Animal Science, Utah State University

Chris focused on dairy record analysis to troubleshoot nutrition and management issues. He develops strategies for ration formulation, maximizing usage of on farm forage ingredients.

Liang Chen,
Sr. Dairy Technical Specialist

• Western US

• +7 years in dairy industry

• Ph.D. Dairy Science, Virginia Tech

Liang is the Dairy Tech Specialist for the west, mainly providing his team with dairy MAX training, support through ration and nutrition troubleshooting, and offering on farm feeding program and farm record analysis.

Collin McCarthy,
Dairy Technical Specialist

• Northeast US

• +30 years in dairy industry

• B.A. Animal Science, Cornell University

Collin's areas of expertise include the milking parlor, hoof health, general dairy management, and Spanish language training.

Molly Diven,
Dairy Technical Specialist

• Northeast U.S.

"I enjoy working with the HerdFirst® line because we can design a program that best suits the goal of each producer. It is not a cookie cutter feeding plan – it allows us to work together to create the most beneficial and cost-effective plan. Not only does the product line show consistent quality, but the products provide optimal nutrition for the calves and heifers throughout the different life stages."

Andy Austin,
Dairy Technical Specialist

• Location

• years in dairy industry

• Education 1

• Education 2

Andy notes:

Hank Spencer,
Sr. Dairy Technical Services Principal

• Location

• years in dairy industry

• Education 1

• Education 2

Hank notes:

Alyssa Dietrich,
Calf & Heifer Specialist

• Pennsylvania & Mid-Atlantic US

"With HerdFirst^®, we are considering the whole picture. It’s not just about the pre-weaned calves, saving the most money, etc. We’re listening to you and your unique goals and abilities, and showing you how you can use our program to get to those goals most effectively."

Ann Mesman,
Calf & Heifer Specialist

• California

"I am a former Cargill customer and I saw a huge improvement in my own animals. I am excited to be a part of this team, because I believe our company is doing great things in our industry. Now, I get to help producers raise a better quality animal and reach their calf and heifer goals!"

Brynn Raduechel,
Calf & Heifer Specialist

• Wisconsin & Minnesota

"Calves and heifers are the foundation of a herd. There are so many life-long impacts that are made in the first two months of a calf’s life and beyond. As a Calf and Heifer Specialist, I create nutrition programs for my customers that shape healthy calves – who grow into efficiently growing heifers and profit producing cows. If any piece of the puzzle is missing before a heifer freshens, I can help find the missing piece before it significantly affects the farm's bottom line."

Jillian Green,
Calf & Heifer Specialist

• Michigan, Indiana and Ohio

"Calves are the cornerstone of the dairy farm’s future and I enjoy helping mold that future alongside our nutritionists. Our products have always spoken for themselves scientifically, and our nutrient focused technologies give your calf and heifer program an edge."

Jess Arnott,
Calf & Heifer Specialist

• New York