Board & Staff | Wi Farmers Union

District Directors

Joshua Mechaelsen

District 8

Term: 2025-2027
515-835-9264

Waukesha, WI

Brown, Calumet, Dodge, Door, Fond du Lac, Forest, Florence, Kewaunee, Langlade, Marinette, Manitowoc, Menominee, Milwaukee, Oconto, Outagamie, Ozaukee, Shawano, Sheboygan, Washington, Waukesha, and Winnebago Counties

Joshua grew up in central Iowa, where heritage poultry breeds and heirloom vegetables opened his eyes to sustainable agriculture. After several stints in public service in Washington, D.C. and Des Moines, Joshua returned home to work at Lost Lake Farm, finally realizing his lifelong dream of milking cows and pasturing hogs. He was emboldened as a practicing farmer and advocate for regenerative agriculture, and eventually earned an MSc in Sustainable Agriculture and Food Security from Royal Agricultural University in the United Kingdom. Joshua is passionate about integrating livestock and perennial pastures to deliver table-ready food, supply a diverse array of critical ecosystem services and achieve holistic sustainability for farmers and rural communities.

629d75_6fb5e0afa4b94c65a069c46dc24ac773~

Linda Ceylor

District 1, Secretary
Term: 2017-2026
Catawba, WI
715-567-1010

hillsidedairyfarm@yahoo.com

Ashland, Barron, Bayfield, Burnett, Douglas, Iron, Lincoln, Oneida, Polk, Price, Rusk, Sawyer, Taylor, Vilas, and Washburn Counties

Linda Ceylor operates Hillside Dairy, an organic farm milking 50 cows and raising replacement heifers. She and her late husband Gerald began farming in Washington in 1990 but due to urbanization moved to Catawba in 1997 with their two children. Linda started the Taylor-Price WFU chapter, coupling it with the Taylor County Farmers Union Youth Group, and was elected chapter president. Linda is a member of the state Farm Services Administration Board. She is a leader of the KC Clovers 4-H Club and was a Price County Fair Board member for 10 years. She is currently President of Price/Taylor National Rural Letter Carriers Association and serves as a local steward. Linda was Vice President and is now a board member of Save Our Unique Land, a group working against construction of the Arrowhead-Weston transmission line. She also serves on the Bethany Lutheran Church Council.

116090081_282732769491469_71139898116871

Dave Rosen

District 2
Term: 2020-2024

Glenwood City, WI

715-781-0846

drosen@wisconsinfarmersunion.com

Dunn, Pepin, Pierce, and St. Croix Counties

Dave Rosen owns and operates his family dairy farm with his brother and father near Forest in St Croix County. They milk around 140 cows and run 700 acres of corn, oats, alfalfa, and soybeans. He has been a lifelong member of Wisconsin Farmers Union, taking part in the youth program, attending WFU Kamp Kenwood in Chippewa Falls and All-States camp in Bailey, Colo., and receiving the Torcherbearer award.

Rosen took part in the Farmers Union Enterprises Leadership program. He also has attended the National Farmers Union Fly-in, where he had the opportunity to participate in lobbying. He has attended the WFU annual convention for the past 20 years and was a delegate for the past 12. He served on the policy committee two different years. For the past seven years, Rosen has served as the vice president of the St. Croix County Farmers Union. In that role, he helped the chapter start a scholarship fundraiser selling cheese curds, with proceeds going toward scholarships for high school seniors.

629d75_a2e1364cebec4f229e4abbeb003a791e~

Ed Gorell

District 3, Treasurer

Term: 2013-2025

Eleva, WI

715-287-3383

egorell@wisconsinfarmersunion.com

Chippewa, Clark, and Eau Claire Counties

Ed and his wife Kristi have operated their farm in Eau Claire County since 1983. They started with a 320 head veal barn and a 50,000 bird broiler facility which they have converted to transition steers onto feedlots. 2018 Ed & Kristi retired from full time farming- Ed is now a part time milk hauler. They are also past 4-H members and have been leaders of their local club.

Ed has received Farmers Union awards for membership and chapter building. He has served and chaired a number of different committees. He has attended the National Farmers Union conventions and fly-ins to Washington D.C. Ed has formerly served as the Eau Claire County Farmers Union President and Vice President.

Patty Edelburg

District 6

Term: 2024-2026
Scandanavia, WI

715-570-1526

pjedelburg@gmail.com

Adams, Columbia, Green Lake, Juneau, Marathon, Marquette, Portage, Sauk, Waupaca, Waushara, and Wood Counties

Patty, along with her husband and 2 adult kids owned and operated a 130 cow registered dairy farm in Amherst Junction, WI for 15 years. Since selling the farm in 2022 they operate a small cow/calf beef operation. Patty has been a Farmers Union member since 1998 where she started out as a WFU employee, after graduating from UW-RF. She was a WFU board member from 2004 to 2016, then again since 2023. She spent 4 years as the National Farmers Union board Vice President.She is also currently serving as the Vice President on the Farmers Union Industries (FUI) board. Outside of Farmers Union, she has served on numerous agricultural boards and committees both locally and throughout the state to help promote and steer agricultural issues. Since selling their dairy farm, she has been teaching agriculture at the junior high and high school levels. She is currently an agriscience teacher for the Stevens Point School District where she continues to advocate for agriculture.

629d75_d7bab200dcbc49efa7364cc47a810d91~

Tina Hinchley

District 7, Vice President
Term: 2012-2024
Cambridge, WI

608-764-5090

dairyfarmertina@gmail.com

Dane, Jefferson, Kenosha, Racine, and Walworth Counties

Tina, along with her husband Duane, own and operate a 260 cow dairy farm in Dane County. Since 1998, Tina has also been running Hinchley’s Dairy Farm Tours to provide non-farmers (especially children) with an honest and positive look at how a typical dairy farm operates. Tina, Duane, and their four children work together on their second-generation farm.

629d75_05c1d5bfab0f43c599458f99eec1dd8c~

Darin Von Ruden

District 5, President

Term: 2008-2025

Westby, WI
608-852-4272
dvonruden@wisconsinfarmersunion.com

Crawford, Grant, Iowa, Rock, Green, Lafayette, Richland, and Vernon Counties

Darin serves as Wisconsin Farmers Union's President and represents WFU on the Farmers Union Enterprises board. Darin is a third generation dairy farmer who is very active with Farmers Union on local, state, and national levels, earning several awards for member recruitment. He and his wife, JoAnn, have two children.

Rachel Bouressa

At Large

Term: 2022-2026

New London, WI

608-228-6617

rbouressa@wisconsinfarmersunion.com

Director At Large

Rachel grew up on a 5th generation dairy farm in central Wisconsin. She received degrees in Agronomy and Environmental Science at UW-Madison and took part in the Agroecology Masters Program. She raises grass-fed beef cattle at Bouressa Family Farm in New London. Bouressa serves as vice president of GrassWorks and a co-coordinator for the Central Wisconsin Graziers' Network. She is also a farmer mentor with the Wisconsin Women in Conservation initiative and serves on her county FSA committee.

Jen Schmitz

District 4

Term: 2020-2026

608-696-9049

Cashton, WI

jen7cows@gmail.com

Buffalo, Jackson, La Crosse, Monroe, and Trempealeau Counties

Jen has been active in Wisconsin's dairy supply chain throughout her life, growing up on a dairy farm and then working 17 years in dairy, projects and resiliency at CROPP Cooperative/Organic Valley. Seeking new endeavors in 2019, Jen joined the hemp supply chain, helping friends harvest and store biomass. In 2020, Jen plans to start hemp from seed, try cloning and sharecropping a hemp field or two. Jen' s interest in hemp supply chains and infrastructure are directly linked to a vision of cleaner future for planet Earth and all living creatures, where hemp, as another alternative in the renewable resources we use, plays a new role in our lives.

Jen is active in community groups at various levels of organization: Kickapoo Conversations (local communities sharing ideas in information), Wisconsin Partners (statewide association of associations supporting local community groups), and River 2 Ridge Disaster Resilience (R2RDR.org; meeting local unmet needs post-disaster).