Cihak elected to The Cooperative Foundation Board of Trustees (Winter 2006)
Connie L. Cihak, a southern Minnesota producer and former Land O’ Lakes board member, was elected as a trustee of The Cooperative Foundation at the October 2006 board of trustees meeting.

    Cihak of Lonsdale, Minn., joins the 11-member governing body of The Cooperative Foundation, which represents a diverse array of cooperatives in agriculture, housing, food, electric and credit unions in the Upper Midwest.

    “We are pleased to have Connie join our team of cooperative leaders,” says William J. Nelson, The Cooperative Foundation president.  “She not only brings experience, but has the drive and passion to help direct the future of cooperative business.”

    Her background includes nine years as a Land O’ Lakes board member.  She also has experience as a spokesperson for the Agricultural Council of America; member of the Task Force for Minnesota Dairy Leaders Roundtable; and volunteered for the US AID project in Uganda, Africa through the Land O’ Lakes International Development Division.

    A Dakota County native, she was raised on her grandparent’s hog and cash crop farm.  After owning a hobby farm while working full time, Cihak and her husband decided to focus completely on agriculture by beginning a dairy operation from scratch.

    The Cihak’s farm hosted the Minnesota Association of Co-ops congressional tours, as well as international tours from Poland, Bolivia, New Zealand, Bulgaria and Russia.

    “Our involvement, dependence and commitment to the cooperative system is directly related to our success and survival in this industry,” says Cihak.