Perdue appoints members to USDA NAREEE advisory board

WASHINGTON, D.C. — USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue announced the appointment of 10 members to serve on the National Agricultural Research, Extension, Education and Economics Advisory Board.

The board regularly advises the secretary and land-grant colleges and universities on top national priorities and policies related to food and agricultural research, education, extension and economics. Its main objective is to contribute to effective federal agricultural research, education and economics programs through broad stakeholder feedback and sound science.

Board members also perform an annual review of the relevance of the research, education, economics and extension programs at USDA and the adequacy of funding for those programs. These appointees will serve three-year terms that expire Sept. 30, 2021. They include, from this region:

•Lisabeth Hobart, Government Relations manager, GROWMARK, Inc., Bloomington, Ill. (Category B. Farm Cooperatives)

•Dr. Sarah Francis, associate professor of human sciences, nutrition and wellness, Iowa State University, Ames (Category J. National Nutritional Science Society)

•Dr. Jayson Lusk, department head, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Ind. (Category Y. National Social Science Assoc.)

Each of the 25 board members represents a specific category of U.S. agricultural stakeholders as outlined in the Agricultural Act of 2014. Terms for members overlap so that approximately one-third of the board is replaced and/or reappointed each year.

Hopkinsville Milling’s Harper to lead NAMA as its chair

ARLINGTON, Va. — The North American Millers’ Assoc. (NAMA) announced that Vice Chair Robert Harper was elected chair of its board of directors for the 2018-20 term, succeeding Mark Kolkhorst of ADM Milling Co. (Overland Park, Kan.).

Harper is president of the Hopkinsville Milling Co. (Hopkinsville, Ky.), a miller of flour, corn meal and grits for retail and foodservice customers. He began his work in the milling industry in 1993 and was previously director of operations and director of new product development at Hopkinsville Milling, and is the fifth generation of family to work at mill.

At the same meeting, D. Ford Mennel, president of the Mennel Milling Co. (Fostoria, Ohio), was elected NAMA vice chair for the same term.

NAMA awarded Honorary Membership to John Gillcrist, Bartlett Milling Co. (Kansas City, Mo.) and Charlie Stout, chair, Grain Craft (Chattanooga, Tenn.).

AgriNovus adds statewide agbioscience leaders to board

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INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — AgriNovus Indiana, the state’s initiative to promote and accelerate the growth of the agbiosciences sector, has added new members to its board of directors: Luca Bonini, CEO of Italpollina; Brian Emerick, board representative for the Northeast Indiana Regional Partnership (NEIRP) and CEO of MicroPulse; and Susanne Wasson, president of the Crop Protection Business Platform for Corteva Agriscience, the Agriculture Division of DowDuPont.

Bonini is the third generation at the helm of his European-based family business with an expansive global reach. Most recently, Italpollina opened its first U.S. manufacturing facility in Anderson, Ind., and is now adding a research and development center, Italpollina Park. He graduated from Bocconi Commercial University in Milan with a degree in business strategy.

Emerick will represent NEIRP on the AgriNovus Board. NEIRP encompasses 11 counties, and its mission is to build, market and sell Northeast Indiana to increase business investments. He has helped launch 10 companies through his “Orthovation” business incubator and serves on the board of trustees of AgriNovus investor Huntington University. He has a bachelor of science in marketing from Indiana Wesleyan University and an MBA from the University of Notre Dame.

Wasson is the board representative to AgriNovus for Corteva. She held several leadership roles with Dow AgroSciences, and is also currently on the board of directors of United Way of Central Indiana and is the board chair of Crop Life America and the National FFA Foundation Sponsors Board. She earned degrees in agricultural economics and accounting from Oklahoma State University and a master of science in agricultural economics from Texas A&M.

FFA Foundation makes appointments to Sponsors’ Board

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — Since its inception in 1947, the National FFA Foundation Sponsors’ Board has supported the foundation in securing funding in support of FFA and agricultural education.

The group, comprised of approximately 40 top corporate executives who support the vision and mission of FFA and are interested in promoting careers in agribusiness, agriculture and food production, entrepreneurship and FFA, announced the appointments of leaders in this region to its sponsors’ board:

•Tony Ambroza, chief brand officer of Carhartt in Dearborn, Mich.

•Beth Bechdol, president and CEO of AgriNovus Indiana in Indianapolis

•Ira Bennett, marketing director, Lincoln Electric/Harris Products Group in Mason, Ohio

The National FFA Foundation Individual Giving Council is key in assisting the Foundation in identifying and growing opportunities to provide financial resources in support of National FFA and agricultural education. Breanne Harms, division manager of Customer Support with John Deere in Moline, Ill., was appointed for 2019.

Biodiesel industry elects new board leadership

ST. LOUIS, Mo. — National Biodiesel Board (NBB) members voted to elect their trade association leadership. The board reflects the wide range of member companies in the biodiesel industry from feedstock operations to producers.

NBB members voted to fill eight board member spots for two-year terms: Troy Alberts, Ag Environmental Products; Rob Shaffer, American Soybean Assoc.; Jeff Lynn, Illinois Soybean Assoc.; Tim Keaveney, Lake Erie Biofuels DBA Hero BX; Mike Rath, Darling Ingredients, Inc.; Greg Anderson, Nebraska Soybean Board; Robert Morton, Newport Biodiesel LLC; and Tom Brooks, Western Dubuque Biodiesel, LLC.

The board also voted in the new slate of officers, with Kent Engelbrecht returning as chair, Chad Stone as vice chair, Ryan Pederson as treasurer and Ron Heck as secretary.

Soil Health Partnership hires Bowman as lead scientist

ST. LOUIS, Mo. — The Soil Health Partnership (SHP) has tapped Dr. Maria Bowman, a notable and experienced agricultural and resource economist, for the new position of lead scientist. Her role will be significant, guiding the organization in building a unique and extensive U.S. database of soil health samples from working farms, analyzing them and drawing conclusions that could impact agriculture for decades to come.

Bowman comes to the SHP having worked as an economist for the USDA’s Economic Research Service. In that role, she focused on the drivers of farmer adoption of soil health and conservation practices, the economics of antibiotic use in U.S. livestock production and emerging issues related to food labeling. She holds a Ph.D. in Agricultural and Resource Economics from the University of California, Berkeley.

In addition to leading the scientific and data plan for the SHP, Bowman will provide oversight of scientific progress of various projects within the partnership. She earned her master of science in forest economics and management from Virginia Tech and her undergraduate degree in environmental science from Juniata College.

Agricultural Retailers Assoc. bestows top honor on Yargus

BOCA RATON, Fla. — The Agricultural Retailers Assoc. (ARA) honored Larry Yargus with its highest individual honor, the Jack Eberspacher Lifetime Achievement Award. In 1992, Yargus acquired Layco, the company his father Lloyd Allen Yargus founded, and led the company’s transition to Yargus Manufacturing, Inc.

Established in 2001, the ARA Lifetime Achievement Award was renamed in 2010 after the late Eberspacher, who served as ARA president and CEO from 2001 until his death in 2009. The award is designed to recognize career-spanning achievements in and contributions to the agricultural retail industry.

Not only has Yargus led his Marshall, Ill., family business to major success, celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, but he has played a pivotal role in helping to guide ARA to be the strong organization it is today. He has tirelessly supported retailers professionally and personally. He has always understood and appreciated the critical role of retailers in the supply chain and providing superior service to the American farmer.

Wilmoth heading up Indiana grain buyers licensing agency

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INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — The Indiana State Department of Agriculture (ISDA) announced the hiring of Harry Wilmoth as director of the Indiana Grain Buyers and Warehouse Licensing Agency.

Wilmoth grew up on a commercial beef cattle operation in Gentry, Ark. He was an active member in FFA and 4-H, and showed swine and beef cattle at the local, state and national levels. He graduated from the University of Arkansas with a bachelor’s degree in agriculture, food and life sciences in 2011 and a master’s degree in agricultural economics in 2015.

Previous to ISDA, Wilmoth was in charge of commodity feed purchasing for a fully integrated chicken company. He also worked for three years with The Andersons as a senior account representative.

As director of the agency, he will be responsible for managing staff and overseeing the agency’s statutory obligations, which include approving new license applications and the periodic auditing of Indiana’s commercial grain operations.

He will also serve as chair of the Indiana Grain Indemnity Corp. board of directors and work with local, state and federal agencies, as well as the private sector, to better understand the needs of Indiana’s grain warehouses.

Johnson installed as chief of Agricultural Retailers Assoc.

BOCA RATON, Fla. — The Agricultural Retailers Assoc. (ARA) installed Troy Johnson of Wilbur-Ellis as chair of the association during the closing session of the 2018 ARA Conference and Expo in Boca Raton.

He succeeds John Oster of Morral Cos. in the position. Each chair serves a one-year term. Johnson shared with attendees his commitment to the association for the coming year, outlining goals that include continuing to strengthen and broaden the membership and keeping the association’s mission front and center in all activities.

National Corn Growers Assoc. promotes Stemme to COO

CHESTERFIELD, Mo. — The National Corn Growers Assoc. (NCGA) announced Fred Stemme has been promoted to the office of chief operating officer.

Previously the vice president of Marketing and Development, he leads a nine-member team responsible for accounting, administration, diversity, facilities, fundraising, grassroots advocacy, human resources, IT, industry relations, leadership training, membership recruitment, retention and services, organizational meetings and state relations.

Prior to joining NCGA as vice president of Marketing in 2005, Stemme was on staff with the Missouri Corn Growers Assoc. for nearly eight years. He also worked in sales with American Cyanamid Co. in Georgia, Iowa and Texas.

He grew up working on his family farm near Hermann, Mo., where they raised registered Polled Hereford cattle and grew corn, as well as other crops and livestock. He has a degree in agricultural economics from the University of Missouri-Columbia and served as state FFA president while there.

National soybean board elects 2019 governing committee

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ST. LOUIS, Mo. — A new group of leaders is set to tackle soybean policy issues in the coming year. The American Soybean Assoc. (ASA) board of directors elected its governing committee last month during the annual winter board meeting in St. Louis, and new board members immediately began their terms.

Davie Stephens of Clinton, Ky., will serve as 2019 ASA president. He has been an ASA national director since 2012, serving as secretary and most recently vice president. He also represented his fellow state farmers on the Kentucky Soybean Assoc. board from 2006-14. He farms more than 5,000 acres in Kentucky and Tennessee, in soybeans, corn and chickens.

Stephens replaced John Heisdorffer of Iowa, and Heisdorffer moved to the role of ASA chair. Former Chair Ron Moore Ill rotated off the nine-member governing committee.

The ASA board also elected Bill Gordon of Minnesota to serve as vice president, a position that places him in line to serve as ASA president in 2020. Gordon is a fourth-generation farmer who grows soybeans and corn across 2,000 acres, including 250 in buffer strips and wetlands.

In addition, the board voted to elect Bret Davis of Ohio as secretary and Brad Kremer of Wisconsin as treasurer. Kevin Scott of South Dakota, Joe Steinkamp of Indiana, Brad Doyle of Arkansas and Ronnie Russell of Missouri were elected as at-large members of the governing committee.

New members of the ASA board are Daryl Cates and David Droste of Illinois and Christopher Hill of Minnesota. Member terms begin immediately upon election each December meeting.

McNeil to lead Diamond V dairy sales in Michigan

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — Diamond V’s ruminant team continues to grow, with Ashleigh McNeil joining the company as regional sales manager for Michigan.

McNeil earned her B.S. in biology/pre-veterinary from Hope College in Holland, Mich., before earning her veterinary technology degree from Front Range Community College in Ft. Collins, Colo., and going on to complete her M.S. in epidemiology and agricultural economics at Colorado State University.

She then started her career in the dairy and animal health industries, including on-farm dairy management and work in dairy health research and sales. Prior to joining Diamond V, she was a dairy production specialist for Zoetis serving Colorado and southwestern Kansas.

Newman to retire after 15 years as AFIA president/CEO

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ARLINGTON, Va. — American Feed Industry Assoc. President and CEO Joel G. Newman announced to members last month that he will be retiring from the association effective December 2019. The association has formed a selection committee to facilitate the transition process over the next year and hired Kincannon & Reed to assist in recruiting Newman’s successor.

Newman has led AFIA for the past 15 years, in which he has ushered in a landmark era of change. He has also served as president of the association’s public charity, the Institute for Feed Education and Research, since its inception.

He has spent his distinguished career in the agriculture and food industries. For the past 48 years, he has held executive positions at Agway, Inc., Maple Leaf Foods, Inc. and United Cooperative Farmers, prior to joining AFIA. He holds an MBA in finance and marketing from Syracuse University and a bachelor’s in animal science from West Virginia University.

The committee aims to conduct candidate interviews this spring with the goal of making a candidate recommendation to the board for its review by the summer. Interested individuals can contact Jim Gerardot at 636-795-6463 or jgerardot@krsearch.net for more information about the position.

National Biodiesel Board hires new regulatory affairs director

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WASHINGTON, D.C. — The National Biodiesel Board (NBB) announced it has hired Kate Shenk as director of Regulatory Affairs. She comes to NBB from the Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO), where she led a regulatory affairs committee and developed analyses and comments on regulatory policies.

Shenk brings extensive knowledge of the regulatory policies that shape the biofuels industry’s growth. Her addition to NBB’s Washington-based federal affairs staff will increase the biodiesel industry’s effectiveness in policy advocacy.

NBB is the U.S. trade association representing the biodiesel and renewable diesel industries, including producers, feedstock suppliers and fuel distributors. Headquartered in Jefferson City, Mo., NBB maintains a Washington, D.C., office for federal affairs and work on regulatory issues surrounding international trade and the federal Renewable Fuel Standard.

Smith joins Seed Consultants as Ohio district sales manager

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WASHINGTON COURT HOUSE, Ohio — Seed Consultants, Inc. (SCI) welcomes Travis Smith as a district sales manager in north-central Ohio.

Smith holds a degree in agricultural business and applied economics with a specialization in agronomy from The Ohio State University. Prior to joining SCI, Travis has had experience in sales, agronomy and seed.

SCI specializes in corn, soybeans, wheat and alfalfa specially developed and tested for the unique soil types and growing conditions of the Eastern Corn Belt. Seed Consultants products are consistent top-performers in area trials, and the company invests heavily in local plot testing at 75 research locations.

Quality Technology welcomes new sales, marketing manager

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ELGIN, Ill. — Quality Technology International welcomed a new regional sales and marketing manager, Brandon Bess, focusing on the turkey market segment. Bess will be providing sales and technical support for turkey producers, veterinarians and nutritionists.

He will work with QTI’s Animal Health Team to help manage territory account plans within the turkey market segment and develop improvements that impact the sales territory. Before joining QTI, Bess worked in management and supervisory positions at Boehringer-Ingelheim Animal Health, Merial Select and Tyson Foods.

Bess completed his bachelor of science degree in poultry science at North Carolina State University. He later graduated with a master’s in agricultural education and agricultural business from North Carolina A&T State University.

Kentucky grower wins Alltech sweepstakes trip to Brazil

LEXINGTON, Ky. — The lure of the beaches of Rio de Janeiro and caipirinhas on the sand led many growers to enter The Grain Escape sweepstakes, which offered a grand prize of a five-night agronomic and cultural tour of Brazil. Alltech Crop Science, the agronomic division of Alltech, is proud to announce the winner of The Grain Escape sweepstakes is Ray Tucker.

The contest, which ran through Dec. 9, was open to any grower in the United States who farmed at least 10 acres of land and was at least 18 years of age. The winner was chosen in a random drawing on Dec. 14.

“I am very excited to have won and am really looking forward to the trip,” said Tucker, a sixth-generation Kentucky farmer who grows tobacco, corn and soybeans. Hosted by international Alltech Crop Science representatives, he and his wife, Stephanie, will visit Brazilian growers to share ideas and best practices.