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A Note From The Founder
Eric Meyer – HighGround Dairy Founder & President
I feel a strong sense of accomplishment and pride as I look back 10 years at HighGround’s humble beginnings versus where we are today. The dairy futures/options brokerage and market analysis space had already been well-established by a few key players; elevating HighGround to that level was going to take a massive effort. I am incredibly proud of the team we have built, their dedication to our mission of servicing the industry and our unwavering commitment to the customer.
We are so thankful to all those that have inherent dairy price risk for earning your trust and business, embracing HighGround and helping us become a household name in the dairy industry. Without our customers we have nothing, and we appreciate your support over the years. An exciting 2023 lies ahead and we are thrilled to share the latest HighGround news with you!
Website Update: User Friendly Intelligence
Following years of feedback and customer requests, HighGround Dairy has officially launched a new website with all of our dairy intelligence in one place! Customers will now have ease of access to all of our reports, data snapshots, webinars, podcasts and even access to some historical pricing series. Ten years of serving the entire global dairy supply chain has given us the knowledge to know exactly what your risk management needs are, and having centralized intelligence is key to keeping your finger as close to the market as possible.
Check out our new website overview video here!
Welcome Our Newest Analyst: Cara Murphy
Dairy Market Intelligence Manager
We are excited to share the addition of a new analyst. Cara Murphy is originally from Des Moines, Iowa where she grew up raising beef cattle. Her passion for agriculture led her to receive a Bachelor of Science degree in Animal Science from Iowa State University. Cara joins us with experience in international agriculture market analysis and economic analysis having spent three years as a member of the market and business insights team with Vermeer Corporation. Her background and strategic mindset provide customers with a holistic viewpoint on changing market dynamics.
HighGround Dairy Heads West
HighGround’s Curtis Bosma Returns to the Central Valley
Chicago-based risk management firm HighGround Dairy recently announced that Curtis Bosma has relocated to California’s Central Valley. Curtis grew up working on his family’s dairy farm in Tipton, California, attended Central Valley Christian High School in Visalia and received degrees in finance and economics from Calvin University in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Curtis joined the HighGround Dairy team in 2014 where he now serves as Vice President of Producer Services.
“After witnessing the financial frustrations that many families in the dairy industry endured in 2009, I left California with a desire to learn more about commodity price risk management. This journey led me to Chicago, where I met my wonderful wife and made many great friends. Chicago has a rich history as the epicenter of agricultural markets. I feel very blessed to have had the opportunity to work closely with dairy experts from around the globe over the past eight years. I am very excited for this next chapter of life for both myself and the HighGround team.” – Curtis Bosma
With all the market volatility seen in recent years, dairy producers are faced with numerous uncertainties and a challenging path forward. It became apparent that dairy farmers need someone local to be able to assist them with navigating this volatility.
A Couple of New Faces on the Insurance Team!
We are so excited to continue to watch the growth of our team – meet the newest additions to the insurance team in 2022.
Cole Baker
Insurance Operations Manager
Cole brings an 8+ year background in both agriculture and crop & livestock insurance to the HighGround team. Cole was raised on his family’s hog and grain farm near Bloomington, Illinois, and had past insurance experience at Mt Carroll Mutual and Country Financial before joining HighGround this past April. Cole graduated from Illinois State University earning a bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Communications.
Christian Moreno
Trade Desk Manager / Insurance Agent
Christian has more than 15 years experience in commodity futures and options brokerage with a specific focus on customer service and execution. This includes stints at on the Chicago Board of Trade floor, RJ O’Brien and HighGround Trading’s grain division before joining the HighGround Dairy Team’s execution desk in 2020. Christian’s extensive knowledge of the futures business and how derivative markets work made for an easy transition to dairy. Christian also works with HighGround’s dairy producer customers to assist with managing their price risk using the Dairy Revenue Protection (DRP) program as a licensed insurance agent. When not at the office, you can find Christian at the local tennis club as an instructor.
Promoting Our Staff to Lead Us Into the Future
Congratulations to HighGround Dairy’s existing staff that received promotions in 2022! We are incredibly thankful to have such a dedicated team.
Christopher Hess
Vice President, Trading Operations
Chris was Eric’s first hire back in February 2013 and now about to celebrate 10 years with the team! When the CME pivoted away from the pit and full steam into electronic execution a handful of years ago, Chris embraced the change and optimized the execution experience. Speed, efficiency and customer service are the tenets of HighGround’s promise to our hedging customers and Chris has been at the core of adhering to those principals every day.
Alyssa Simek (Badger)
Vice President, Global Operations & Insights
Alyssa has been with the HighGround team for nearly nine years and has been a key asset to the company’s global growth through expanding our analysis to new regions and growing our subscriber-base to new continents. We look forward to watching her take on this new role in an effort to drive additional value to HighGround’s customers through enhancing the market intelligence and customer experience for our global audience.
Becca Kelm
Customer Success & Marketing Manager
Becca’s passion for learning and taking on new challenges, with a desire to serve clients in the best way possible, has been a needed asset for the HighGround team as maintaining customer satisfaction within all facets of our business is the nucleus of our success model. Her vision and unparalleled work ethic quickly propelled her from Relationship Specialist to Customer Success & Marketing Manager and we know her growth will not stop there!
We can’t wait to see what awaits us over the next ten years
Thank you for being a part of our success!
-The HighGround Dairy Team
