BOARDMAN — Threemile Canyon Farms has hired a new president following the unexpected death of founder and general manager Marty Myers in December 2020.

Bill Antilla, of Longview, Washington, was selected to lead the operation, which includes Oregon’s largest dairy and 39,500 acres of cropland. His first day was Aug. 9.

For the last seven years, Antilla served as general manager at Crown Companies and Crown Iron Works in Blaine, Minnesota, a world leader in oilseed processing technology. There he oversaw all aspects of global business, including financial performance, engineering, sales, research and development, marketing and supply chain.

Previously, Antilla spent 26 years at Cargill Inc., a Minnesota-based global food corporation, serving in various leadership roles including food ingredients, food production, agricultural processing and bio-renewable industrial technologies.

In a statement, Antilla said he was drawn to Threemile Canyon Farms for its culture, values and location. The farm is about 15 miles west of Boardman.

“I’m eager to build upon Threemile’s success of innovation and dedication to the team, animal welfare and sustainable practices,” he said.

Established in 1998 by R.D. Offutt Co., Threemile Canyon Farms is well known for its large dairy operation, with 35,000 milking cows and approximately 70,000 total cattle. The milk is sold to the Tillamook County Creamery Association — makers of Tillamook cheese — which has a factory at the nearby Port of Morrow.

Myers served as general manager from day one. He pioneered the farm’s “closed-loop system,” whereby nitrogen-rich manure from the dairy is mixed at agronomic rates and sprayed onto the surrounding farmland to grow potatoes, onions, blueberries, carrots and other crops.

The farm also grows alfalfa, hay and triticale for animal feed, which goes back to feed the dairy cows, thus completing the closed loop.

Last year, Threemile Canyon Farms was one of three dairies nationwide recognized for Outstanding Dairy Farm Sustainability at the 2020 U.S. Dairy Sustainability Awards, lauding management practices that “demonstrate outstanding economic, environmental and social benefits.”

R.D. Offutt CEO Tim Curoe said Antilla’s lengthy career in agribusiness and food processing, combined with his love of the Pacific Northwest, make him uniquely qualified to serve Threemile Canyon and build on its strong foundation of sustainable agriculture.

Antilla has a bachelor’s degree from Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota, and a master’s of business administration from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. He has a wife and two grown children, and will be relocating from Minnesota to Oregon.