NorthStar Logo with business units    

Enhancing producer profitability through integrated services.
Specials
Holstein Lineup
High Protein Lineup
Beef Lineup
DHI Top Herds
RFID
Events
Employee Learning
Request Information





      NorthStar Cooperative, Inc.
NorthStar Cooperative’s Vision is to provide premier services and products to agriculture producers to enhance their business and well being. We accomplish this vision by
  • Expanding current and new services through support of technology, research and development;
  • Collaborating and investing in strategic alliances with other business entities, and
  • Promoting a work environment that enhances knowledge, creativity, innovation, and personal growth.

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, BVD and progesterone testing services worldwide and pioneered the commercial utilization of the AntelBio Milk ELISA.

NorthStar is guided by a 13-member board of directors, which consists of 12 district directors, representing different regions of the sales

NorthStar Cooperative Board of Directors

NorthStar Cooperative Board of Directors

Back row: Lyle Ott, District 7; Jeff Horning, District 4; Terry Nugent, District 3; Bob Cnossen, District 1; Ken Gasper, District 2; Dave Goodrich, District 10; Dan Mielke, District 9.

Front row: Mike Heckaman, District 12; Dana Sue Kirk, At-Large; Mark Ziel, District 5; Dick Piechowski, District 8.

Missing from photo Henry Wender, District 6 and Donald Hoffelt, District 11.


<Click to close this box>
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 $20 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. While relatively new to providing DHI Services, the mergers with MDHI and Fox Valley bring a rich history with them. DHI was originally founded in 1905 in Newaygo county, Michigan and Fox Valley got its beginning in Outagamie County in 1943.

The headquarters for NorthStar Cooperative, Inc. is at 3655 Forest Road, Lansing, Michigan 48910.