"Enhancing producer profitability through integrated services," is NorthStar's mission. Owned by dairy and beef producers, the cooperative's core product lines include: A.I. products and services through Select Sires, DHI Services and Herd Management Products.
Product and service sales for A.I products and services and herd management products are limited to producers in Michigan, Indiana (north of U.S. 50) and northern Wisconsin. Full-service DHI services are currently provided in Michigan, northern Indiana, northern Ohio and Wisconsin.
NorthStar's business units provide on-farm service through direct service sales representatives, as well as DHI technicians and A.I. technicians. Additionally, the sales support team, consisting of dairy production evaluators, embryo transfer technicians and A.I. trainers also support the sales goals and objectives of the cooperative.
NorthStar's DHI Services provides on-farm sample collection and data entry of production and reproduction information which is performed by a staff of trained technicians, while sample analysis is conducted at one of two laboratories; Universal Lab Services and Wisconsin DHI Lab. Dairy Records Management Systems (DRMS) of Raleigh, North Carolina is the primary source for records processing. In addition to testing services, NorthStar provides on-farm support for PCDART and PocketDairy.
In addition to these patronage-based business units, NorthStar also owns Antel BioSystems Inc. (AntelBio), an animal disease-testing center. AntelBio provides Johne's, Leukosis and BVD testing services worldwide and pioneered the commercial utilization of the AntelBio Milk ELISA, as well as complete sample and collection kits. In 2005 AntelBio expanded it’s offering to include BVD testing options to veterinarians.
NorthStar is guided by a 13-member board of directors, which consists of 12 district directors, representing different regions of the sales area. As a cooperative, NorthStar distributes earnings to its owners. Common stockowners have voting privileges and receive patronage, while Preferred stockowners receive annual dividends as declared by the board of directors.
NorthStar Cooperative has operational revenues in excess of $17 million. Based in Lansing, Michigan, the company was created in 1944 through the efforts of Michigan dairymen and Michigan State University Cooperative Extension Service. Since that time, NorthStar became a member of the nationally renowned Select Sires federation, and has successfully completed mergers with Michigan DHIA and Fox Valley DHI, originally of Appleton, Wisconsin .
The company is headquartered at 3655 Forest Road, Lansing, Michigan 48910.
