Michael Reuter
Michael Reuter has accepted the position of Director of Analytical Services, Forage and Soils. In his new role Mike will supervise Forage and Soils operations and will be responsible for the overall leadership and direction of these laboratories.
Mike is originally from a 70 cow Holstein dairy farm in Grand Gorge, New York in Delaware County. He attended Cornell University and graduated with distinction, earning a Bachelor of Science in Agronomy in May of 1987.
Shortly after graduation he began his Dairy One career as an entry level Forage Lab Technician in the Protein Department and quickly moved to a supervisory role as the Senior Technician in the Mineral Department. In March of 1990 Mike assumed the position of Laboratory Chemist and Safety Director where his responsibilities over the last 27 years have included quality assurance, analytics, methods development, and oversight of the cooperative's safety program.
Currently, comprised of 32 employees, these lab operations analyze over 220,000 domestic and international feed and forage samples and 30,000 soil samples annually with 115,000 of the Forage Lab sample volume originating from the 24 Affiliate Network Labs with locations worldwide.
"It's an exciting time to be given the opportunity to lead this current team. Their willingness to embrace and adapt to an industry in constant flux is a testament to their commitment to the agricultural community and will be one of the prime reasons for Dairy One's continued success in the future. I am happy to be a part of this process."
Michael is married with four children and resides just south of the Ithaca area in Spencer, NY. Outside of work he enjoys reading, listening to music, walking outdoors, watching MLB baseball and college basketball, especially the New York Yankees and Duke Blue Devils. He is a passionate PC gamer and Star Wars aficionado, earning him the title Grand Master Jedi by his co-workers.
Sarah Fessenden
Sarah Fessenden has accepted the role of Business Development Manager for the Forage and Soils Labs. In her new role, she will have oversight of sales and marketing efforts, and work with Mike Reuter to develop new packages and analyses.
Sarah grew up on a 600 head Holstein farm in King Ferry, NY. She graduated from Cornell in 2015 with a degree in Animal Science and a focus in dairy nutrition. Sarah spent some time abroad during her undergraduate years learning about the agriculture industries in Germany, Italy, and Ireland. She interned with Zoetis in the Northeast and on two large organic dairies in New Mexico.
Following graduation Sarah moved to Wisconsin to work as a dairy nutritionist with Purina Animal Nutrition. She moved back to New York in June 2017 and has been working at Dairy One providing technical support for the Forage and Soils labs. She has traveled to many meetings and conference to represent the lab, and had an opportunity to speak at the 2017 Penn State Nutrition Conference. In addition, she has led the development of newsletters and factsheets, and worked on several projects including the launch of a new business unit, Zooquarius (http://zooquarius.com).
"The forage lab has so much potential and a great team of technicians. I'm looking forward to bringing a fresh perspective in the lab industry and continuing Dairy One's reputation as an innovative and reliable lab."
Sarah lives in Ithaca, NY with her two cats. She enjoys playing piano, traveling, swimming, and playing board games. She is a sci-fi fan and has been labeled as the lab Padawan.
Farnoush Tahmasebi
Farnoush Tahmasebi has transitioned to the role of Quality Assurance Specialist for the Forage and Soils labs. In her new role she will oversee quality assurance, methods development, lab production coordination, and inventory control.
Farnoush is from Karaj, Iran and, with her father in the Army, moved around for most of her childhood. She graduated from Bu Ali Sina University with a B.S. in Soil Science in 2003 and a M.S. in Soil Chemistry in 2006. In 2009, Farnoush moved to Italy with her husband and lived there for a year before moving to Canada. While in Canada, she studied English and in 2015 completed a Ph.D. in Biogeochemistry from the University of Western Ontario. In 2016, Farnoush's husband started a position with Cornell and Farnoush started with Dairy One in July of that year as a technician in the Fiber Department. She moved to the Mineral Department in November 2016 as Senior Technician.
"I think nothing is impossible for anybody if enough effort is put toward your goals. I love working at Dairy One and I look at Dairy One as a new school to both learn and teach."
Farnoush lives in Ithaca with her husband. Outside of work she enjoys gardening, crafting, particularly making her own jewelry. She also enjoys getting together with friends and discovering new things to do around Ithaca.
