The CentralStar Cooperative Board of Directors, representing member-stockowners across Wisconsin, Michigan, and Indiana, is pleased to announce Charlie Will, Marysville, Ohio, as the recipient of the 2024 Pioneer Award. (Courtesy Photo)
LANSING, Mich. — The CentralStar Cooperative Board of Directors, representing member-stockowners across Wisconsin, Michigan, and Indiana, is pleased to announce Charlie Will, Marysville, Ohio, as the recipient of the 2024 Pioneer Award. Established in 1977, the Pioneer Award honors individuals whose dedication and leadership have significantly advanced the cooperative and its members’ success.
“For more than four decades, Charlie’s passion and leadership elevated the genetics available to dairy producers across the globe,” shared CentralStar Board of Directors President Paul Trierweiler, Westphalia, Mich. “His unwavering commitment to improving the economic possibilities of producers has left a permanent mark on our cooperative and the dairy industry.”
Born and raised on a southern-Illinois dairy farm, Will’s passion for cattle led him to a sales role at Michigan Animal Breeders Cooperative (MABC), now CentralStar Cooperative. Will’s career began with cold calls and closed doors as the first sales representative in northeastern Wisconsin. While initially faced with resistance, his persistence and dedication built a loyal customer base, paving the way for the growth of the cooperative.
In 1978 Will joined Select Sires, Inc. as an assistant sire analyst and later became Holstein sire program manager, having a hand in shaping the genetics of the Holstein breed. Under his leadership, iconic dairy bulls such as 7HO980 MARK, 7HO1897 BLACKSTAR, 7HO6417 O MAN, 7HO5157 DURHAM, 7HO2236 ELTON, 7HO1118 ROTATE, and 7HO5708 BLITZ set new standards. “Bulls like these truly made a difference for dairymen,” reflected Will, “and that’s what I’m most proud of.”
Through decades of work, Will helped shape Select Sires’ legacy, while staying focused on one key goal: to improve the economic viability of dairy producers across the globe. His legacy is one of dedication and a deep commitment to serving dairy producers, traits that have left a lasting imprint on the industry.
CentralStar’s mission of enhancing producer profitability through integrated solutions for mutual success is fulfilled by incorporating an array of products and services critical to dairy-and-beef-farm prosperity. CentralStar’s product and service offerings include Accelerated Genetics, GenerVations, and Select Sires genetics; extensive artificial-insemination (A.I.) technician service; genetic, reproduction, and dairy-records consultation; DHI services; diagnostic testing; herd-management products; research and development; and more. CentralStar’s administration and warehouse facilities are located in Lansing, Mich., and Waupun, Wis., with laboratories in Grand Ledge, Mich., and Kaukauna, Wis. The cooperative serves dairy and beef producers throughout Wisconsin, Michigan, and Indiana, with additional DHI territory in various surrounding states. For more information, visit CentralStar Cooperative Inc. at www.mycentralstar.com.
