The American Dairy Products Institute (ADPI) announced that its former President of the Board of Directors, William (Bill) J. Merrick, passed away. 

ADPI issued the following statement:

"It is with heavy hearts that we share the news of the passing of William (Bill) J. Merrick, III, a true gentleman who made significant contributions to the dairy and animal industries and the American Dairy Products Institute.

Bill joined his father's dairy brokerage operation, Merrick Dried Milk, at the age of 20. In 1970, he established a manufacturing operation focused on dairy-based ingredients, producing products for the animal feed industry. 

Merrick Animal Nutrition became the standard by which milk and milk-fat products used in the animal feed sector were judged. Bill was dedicated to producing quality products and investing in research and development to create innovative solutions that have enhanced the animal feed industry we know today.

Bill accompanied his father to his first American Dry Milk Institute (ADMI) Annual Meeting in 1967 and remained actively involved in the Institute for over 38 years. He served as a member of the Board of Directors of the Whey Protein Institute (WPI) from 1976 until ADMI and WPI merged to form the American Dairy Products Institute (ADPI) in 1986. After the merger, he continued to serve on the ADPI Board of Directors until 2015, making him one of the longest-tenured members of the board at that time. Bill also held the positions of past President and Vice President of the ADPI Board of Directors and served on the Board and Executive Committees of both the National Feed Ingredient Association and the American Feed Industry Association.

In 2005, Bill was honored by ADPI as the recipient of the Award of Merit, now known as the C. Earl Gray Award of Merit. This award is given to individuals who have made lasting contributions to the dairy products industry.

Bill made a profound difference in our industry and within our organization, and he will be dearly missed. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his wife, Diane, and his entire family."