Syngenta names Illinois winner in #RootedinAg contest

GREENSBORO, N.C. — Tori Streitmatter of Sparland, Ill., is the grand prizewinner of the 2017 Thrive #RootedinAg contest from Syngenta. This contest challenged growers and other ag industry professionals across the country to describe the person who most nourished their agricultural roots.

Streitmatter, who currently works in human resources and recruiting for agricultural supply cooperative Growmark, Inc., chose her father, Dave. “My father is who I credit for fueling my fire for agriculture,” she wrote in her winning essay. “He was my biggest motivator throughout my 4-H and FFA days.

“He taught me how to work hard without expecting anything in return, live simply, stay humble, respect everyone’s ideas, give back to my community, problem-solve, stand up for what I believe in and always hold my farm family close to my heart.”

In addition to the mini touch-screen tablet that she, along with four other finalists, received earlier in the competition, Streitmatter has won a $500 gift card. Syngenta also will make a $1,000 donation in her name to the Midland FFA Alumni to help students who are pursuing ag degrees in her local area attend regional and national conferences.

She is the latest winner in the annual Syngenta Thrive contest. Thrive is the company’s news magazine and website created specifically for U.S. growers and agribusiness professionals. 2017 marks the fourth consecutive year Syngenta has sponsored an essay contest for its readers.

National fresh food distributor giving local farmers $75,000

MONTEREY, Calif. — National produce distributor PRO*ACT is proud to announce the expansion of the company’s annual local farm grant program. The grant program called Cultivating Change has increased to $75,000 and represents PRO*ACT’s commitment to creating a sustainable produce supply chain from seed to fork.

Farmers nationwide may now apply for funds to invest in their farms and grow their overall capacity. Applications for this year’s grant program will be accepted until Dec. 15. Panel review and popular voting will be conducted Jan. 1-31, 2018, and winners will be announced on Feb. 5.

At the end of this grant cycle, PRO*ACT will have invested $200,000 in local farms from coast to coast. Those funds have enabled past winners to achieve sustainability goals such as rainwater collection systems, building sustainable greenhouse operations and launching farm-to-school programs.

PRO*ACT’s sustainability program, Greener Fields Together, launched the Cultivating Change grant program in 2015. In just two years, the funding has positively impacted more than 20 farms. Complete application guidelines, stories of past winners and eligibility details are online at www.cultivatingchange.org

Cusick joins The Jacobsen for biofuel and feedstocks market

CHICAGO, Ill. — The Jacobsen Publishing Co., a leading source of price information and analysis in the global agriculture and renewable fuels market, announces that John Cusick has joined the company.

He will develop an outlook and forecasting component for today's highly relevant biofuel feedstocks. He will also provide consulting services to equity analysts, traders, banks, hedge funds, family managed funds and agribusiness.

Cusick, who joins The Jacobsen as a senior analyst, was a trader for the past 15 years in the biodiesel and biodiesel feedstock market. He served as director of Trade Management overseeing trading, chartering and logistics for both Imperium Renewables and RBF Port Neches, the two largest biodiesel production facilities in the U.S.

He ran the renewable fuels trading activity for Glencore LTD, one of the largest global commodities companies in the world. Prior to his role at Glencore, he was a vice president at Morgan Stanley Capital Group, Inc., responsible for global biodiesel trading and business development for the commodity-trading desk in New York.

Wilbur-Ellis taps Buckley to succeed Thacher as CEO

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. — Wilbur-Ellis announced it has named John L. Buckley president and chief executive, succeeding John P. Thacher.

Buckley, who comes to Wilbur-Ellis after serving as chief executive of the U.S. subsidiary of France’s Air Liquide, will officially take over as president and CEO on Jan. 1, 2018. Thacher, who has overseen significant growth at Wilbur-Ellis since taking over as president and CEO in 2006, will transition into his new role as executive chair of the board.

Buckley’s career spans four decades, during which he has held key roles in engineering, manufacturing and sales. Prior to joining Air Liquide, he held leadership positions at Rohm & Haas Co. and Dow Chemical, including serving as president of the AgroFresh and Angus Chemical businesses. He also serves on the board of Michelman Inc., an international, family-owned specialty chemical business with headquarters located in Cincinnati.

As executive chair, Thacher will work closely with Buckley on corporate strategy, and he will also be engaged in providing support for key strategic initiatives. Additionally, he will facilitate communication between the company leadership and the family owners, as well as chair the board and its executive committee.

Indiana scholarships for non-traditional female students

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — If you are a non-traditional female student or a stay-at-home mom joining the workforce, consider applying for a POWER scholarship.

POWER is the General Assembly’s caucus primarily for women legislators interested in improving the quality of life for Hoosier residents, and state Rep. Holli Sullivan currently serves as its president. She stated it is seeking to provide 18 women throughout the state $750 scholarships.

These scholarships are dedicated to non-traditional female students whose education was delayed or interrupted. There is also a high priority placed on women who give back to their communities and whose goals and desires for education align with their passions.

POWER is a 501c3 organization that is funded by private donations. Money to fund the scholarship is raised through membership dues, contributions and through other fundraising efforts. The deadline is Dec. 20; visit www.inpowercaucus.org to apply.

USGC adds overseas staff to boost global presence, grain sales

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Grains Council (USGC) is adding a new strategic director in Asia and assistant director in Southeast Asia as part of a global resource expansion meant to capture near-term demand for feed grain sales and build long-term demand for ethanol among global customers.

Over the past year, the USGC leadership has heard that what members want is new demand, and they are willing to invest in it by hiring high-quality people around the world.

Tim Tierney joined as director of strategic marketing/ethanol, North Asia, filling a new role that seeks to capitalize on both longstanding relationships in the region and emerging opportunities for biofuels. He will be based in Singapore.

Tierney came to the organization from Syngenta and DuPont, where he worked on products developed for the ethanol industry. Earlier in his career, he worked for the USGC for more than 10 years as director in Japan, director of international operations based in Washington and as a trade servicer.

Caleb Wurth will join the Southeast Asia regional office in Kuala Lumpur as assistant director. Most recently with ADM, he has experience marketing corn and corn co-products to feedlots and working on containerized grain export logistics, both of which are particularly relevant to the region in which he will be working. As a student at Kansas State, he took part in a Council- and FFA-sponsored I-CAL program to educate young leaders on international trade issues.

These additions complement other staff expansions over the last year that are meant to help find, develop and capture wholly new demand for corn, sorghum, barley, distiller's dried grains with solubles and ethanol.

Fremont hires food industry expert for quality assurance

FREMONT, Ohio — The Fremont Co., producers of Frank’s Kraut and Mississippi BBQ Sauce, has hired Mary Bellerose as director of quality assurance, to oversee quality optimization at all three Ohio plants in Fremont, Rockford, and Willoughby.

Bellerose has held several positions within the food industry, including the management of High Risk Ready to Eat USDA products, bakery and seafood processing, and has consulted in the areas of GFSI certification, manufacturing optimization and FSMA compliance. Additionally, she has worked in thermal processing, natural and organic brands, marinated salads processing and high-speed bottling.

She will be responsible for Quality Assurance across all Fremont plants, interact with customers, represent the company on matters of quality and be involved in plant expansion planning projects, as well as integrating three completely different processing plants into one quality scheme. Bellerose holds degrees in food science, quality, business management and culinary arts.

Quality Technology International welcomes new staff vet

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ELGIN, Ill. — Sheilena Brookshire, DVM, has joined Quality Technology International as its newest Technical Sales manager. Her duties will be to support sales managers in the area of technical services.

She will maintain relationships with industry leaders, university professors/DVMs and existing and future customers. Before joining QTI, Brookshire worked as a poultry technical consultant, mostly in the southeastern United States.

She completed her bachelor’s of science in agriculture in avian biology at The University of Georgia, and her doctorate of veterinary medicine at its College of Veterinary Medicine.

AEM announces 2018 officers and new directors

MILWAUKEE, Wis. — The Assoc. of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) announced its 2018 officers as well as directors elected to the AEM board of directors and AG and CE Sector Boards at its recent annual business meeting.

AEM officers and directors work on behalf of all member companies, giving their time and talent to provide strategic direction and guidance for its business-development initiatives in areas including public policy, market data and exhibitions, as well as technical, safety and regulatory issues and education/training.

2018 AEM Officers are: Chair Richard M. Goldsbury, regional president, North America & Oceania, Doosan Bobcat, Inc.; Vice Chair Jim Walker, VP Case IH N.A., CNH Industrial; AG Chair John D. Lagemann, Sr. VP Sales & Marketing, Regions 3 & 4, Deere & Co.; CE Chair Jeffrey R. Reed, president/CEO, Reed International/VSS Macropaver; Treasurer Todd H. Stucke, Sr. VP Sales, Marketing & Product Support, Kubota Tractor Corp.; and Secretary Dennis J. Slater, AEM’s full-time president.

To view those elected to the board of directors and sector boards, visit www.aem.org

Diamond V adds new personnel to roster of expertise

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CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — Diamond V recently welcomed Karen Lehe, DVM, DACVPM, who has joined the company as director, Swine Business Development.

Raised on a beef cattle and tobacco farm in southwestern Virginia, Lehe earned her B.S. in biology from Virginia Tech and her DVM from the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine. After completing her studies, she served three years in residency at Michigan State University.

Lehe then worked nine years in veterinary practice, becoming co-owner of Wolcott Veterinary Clinic/Indiana Animal Health in Wolcott, Ind. She provided herd-health veterinary services to pork producers in a six-state area, as well as industry expertise to animal health and genetics providers. Later, she moved to the animal health and nutrition industry. Lehe is based near Monticello, Ind.

The company also welcomed Evan Chaney, Ph.D., who joined the company in the new position of director, Food Safety Microbiology. He earned his M.Sc. in food science from Texas Tech University in Lubbock. He later completed his doctorate at Texas Tech in Animal Science, with an emphasis in food safety and microbiology, and continued post-doctoral research at the university. He is HACCP-certified in Implementation and Management.

Prior to joining Diamond V, Chaney worked at Roka Bioscience as director, Customer Applications and Microbiology, and previously as senior manager, Scientific Affairs, where he worked with industry, academic and government partners to evaluate, develop and implement food safety test method applications across the industry. He is based in Cedar Rapids.

Indiana veteran/farmer wins free compact tractor worth 25K

GREENTOWN, Ind. (AP) — An Army veteran who operates a central Indiana farm said he was speechless after learning that he'd won a free tractor.

Randy Ramberger recently became one of four U.S. veterans to receive free compact Kubota brand tractors through an initiative sponsored by the company and the Farmer Veteran Coalition. The Kokomo Tribune reported Ramberger and his family picked up the $25,000 tractor at Dirt-N-Turf in Greentown.

Ramberger served a tour in Afghanistan as an engineer. He raises pastured pork and free-range chickens on his five-acre farm near the Grant County town of Swayzee.

To apply for the chance to win the tractor, Ramberger had to submit a business plan, a résumé including his military and community service and answer some essay questions.

NRWA partners with DOL on apprenticeship program

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The National Rural Water Assoc. (NRWA), the nation’s largest water utility association with more than 31,000 members, announced a partnership with the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) to launch a nationwide apprenticeship program.

The WaterPro Apprenticeship Program, tailored to water and wastewater system operations specialists, is now a nationally-recognized standard with the DOL. CoBank, a cooperative bank serving agribusinesses, rural infrastructure providers and Farm Credit associations throughout the United States, will underwrite $250,000 to help establish the program.

It takes more than 380,000 highly skilled water and wastewater personnel to ensure the public supply of safe drinking water and to protect lakes, streams and groundwater. Advancements in water treatment and supply technology have increased the skills and training required of this workforce.

In addition to increasing professional demands, utilities will soon be forced to replace many of their most experienced employees. Over the next decade, the water sector is expected to lose between 30-50 percent of the workforce to retirement. To learn more about the program, visit https://nrwa.org/initiatives/apprenticeship-program