If you’ve spent any amount of time on the All West website so far (www.allwestselectsires.com) and viewed some of the 75th anniversary videos, you know that this year’s celebration is possible because of the hard work and dedication of many generations of early leaders. Over and over, while filming the videos, we heard the words, “It was an honor to serve,” or “I enjoyed being part of the family.” It just showed us how important the All West board was in directing the western dairy industry in those early years. And that’s something we still believe is true today. So, beyond the tasks of organizing an annual meeting, we had the added challenge of representing those 75 years of hard work…and do it in a way that was FUN!
This year’s All West Annual Meeting lived up to its expectations and then some! Directors, delegates, past presidents, spouses, special guests…over 150 in all…gathered in Palm Desert, CA on the last weekend of February. Beyond the standard business reports, which you’ll see a summary of here, we were entertained by Dick Chichester and Dave Thorbahn of Select Sires, and their accounts of how All West joined the Select Sires Federation. We thoroughly enjoyed recollections from our own Pete DeGroot and Walt Stornetta, as they visited the old All West town we had constructed. We laughed along with presenters Jim Wells, Herald Catlin and Bill Genasci. And we got to watch videos that captured the spirit of the “good ole days” as well as videos from tomorrow’s future leaders of the co-op.
How do you capture 75 years of history in one annual event? It’s nearly impossible. But from the late night chats, to the extended stays and camel-riding fieldtrips, those that participated in this 75th Annual Meeting certainly made it clear that this great family called All West…well that’s the number one explanation for How the All West was Won!
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