Lee and Paul Percy, Stowe. Courtesy photo.
Vermont Business Magazine Described as an “idea man,” Paul Percy, an Agri-Mark/Cabot dairy farmer from Stowe, Vermont, was honored last week by the National Council of Farmers Cooperatives with the Farmer Cooperative Director of the Year award. Percy, who retired from Agri-Mark’s Board of Directors in December 2021, has served his fellow farmers on the cooperative’s board for 37 years. He has been a witness to and an influence on nearly every major cooperative decision made during that time, including Agri-Mark’s acquisition of the Cabot brand.
In congratulating Percy on the honor, NCFC president and CEO Chuck Connor said, “As the longest tenured director on Agri-Mark’s board, Paul brings the experience, dedication and sound judgment that this award is designed to recognize”.
“We salute Paul for his tireless dedication to our cooperative and to the many members he has represented in the board room,” remarked Agri-Mark’s CEO Bill Beaton. “His leadership and wisdom have been invaluable to building our Cooperative business and the Cabot brand into the renowned Vermont business that it is today.”
According to fellow Agri-Mark Director Blake Gendebien, “Paul is a tremendous resource for the Board of Directors, and he is a great out of the box thinker with bold ideas. I believe it is his knack for finding solutions in tough environments that has kept his service to this cooperative at a high level for so long.”
In nominating Percy, Agri-Mark noted that he has an enormous pride in the cooperative and has tirelessly supported the Cabot brand. Percy’s farm is featured on our Cabot website and he is fully committed to doing what he can to keep dairy farming going, both personally and for others. In his own words he has said, “I like working with the cattle. I like working with the crops. I like the challenges. I like being involved in the co-op and meeting people. I think I can have an impact. I enjoy it. I guess that’s what’s important, isn’t it?”
Percy’s industry leadership extends far beyond the Agri-Mark having served as an officer and member with the New England Dairy Board and Agri-Mark’s predecessor organizations. In addition to servicing his farmer community for decades, Percy is extremely active in his local community and has long served and been elected as the Town of Stowe Lister.
Agri-Mark, the premier dairy cooperative in the Northeast, markets more than 370 million gallons of farm fresh milk each year for more than 700 dairy farm families in New England and New York. Agri-Mark farmers own the award-winning Cabot brand of Vermont Cheddar, butter and other dairy products in addition to the McCadam brand of New York Cheddar, Pepper Jack and other cheeses. Agri-Mark operates three cheese production facilities plus a butter and powder facility. The cooperative also manufactures and markets valuable whey proteins globally while also marketing fresh fluid milk from its local farm families to the region's largest dairy processors. The cooperative has been marketing milk for dairy farmers since 1916 and has headquarters in Andover, Massachusetts and Waitsfield, Vermont.
Agri-Mark. Waitsfield. 2.16.2022