Corn breeder joins Seed Consultants WASHINGTON COURT HOUSE, Ohio — Dave Nanda joins Seed Consultants Inc. as director of Genetics and Technology. Before coming to the United States, he worked with the Rockefeller Foundation in India, collecting corn and millets germplasm.
He holds a Ph.D. in agronomy and genetics from the University of Wisconsin in Madison and also worked closely with DEKALB Seed Operations in Argentina, India and Europe. Nanda has been communicating with farmers as a consultant to Prairie Farmer magazine since 2007 and he’s known as CornDoc1 on Twitter.
His experience includes research director at Stewart Seeds, Inc. in Greensburg, Ind., Seedtec International in Carrollton, Ill., O’s Gold in Parkersburg, Iowa, and as a corn breeder with Pfizer Genetics, Windfall, Ind., and SuperCrost Hybrids, Kentland, Ind. Most recently he was president of Bird Hybrids in Tiffin, Ohio.
RFA elects new leadership for 2011 WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Renewable Fuels Assoc. (RFA) announced that Chuck Woodside, general manager of farmer-owned KAAPA Ethanol in Minden, Neb., will be the new RFA chair. Woodside is succeeding Chris Standlee, executive vice president of Abengoa Bioenergy, who served three one-year terms.
The RFA is also pleased to announce Neill McKinstray, vice president and general manager, Ethanol Division of The Andersons, Inc., as vice chair, taking the position left vacant by Woodside’s election. The Andersons manage three ethanol facilities in Albion, Mich., Clymers, Ind., and Greenville, Ohio.
Also taking positions of leadership within the RFA are Treasurer Randall J. Doyal, CEO of Al-Corn Clean Fuel in Claremont, Minn.; Secretary Walter Wendland, CEO of Golden Grain Energy in Mason City, Iowa; and President Bob Dinneen.
ASA confirms board members to lead WISHH ST. LOUIS, Mo. — The American Soybean Assoc. (ASA) confirmed five new members and extended the appointments of nine other soybean growers to lead ASA’s World Initiative for Soy in Human Health (WISHH) program.
New appointments to the WISHH Committee are John Heisdorffer of Iowa, Lucas Heinen of Kansas, C.W. Gaffner and Dan Farney of Illinois and Monica McCranie of South Dakota. WISHH board members unanimously selected David Iverson of South Dakota as chair, Jared Hagert of North Dakota as vice chair, Barb Overlie of Minnesota as secretary and Pat Dumoulin of Illinois as treasurer.
ASA President Rob Joslin also confirmed extending the terms of Iverson, Hagert, Overlie, and Dumoulin, Scott Fritz and Darrel McGriff of Indiana, Bill Wykes of Illinois, Ken Bartlett of North Carolina and Jack Trumbo of Kentucky.
The WISHH program is managed from ASA’s headquarters in St. Louis. For more information, visit www.wishh.org
Knapke on Ohio Soil and Water Commission
COLUMBUS, Ohio — William R. Knapke of Fort Recovery was recently appointed by Gov. Ted Strickland to serve a four-year term on the Ohio Soil and Water Commission.
The owner of a Mercer County farm, Knapke raises chickens and tilapia, as well as corn and soybeans. He also works for Cooper Farms, where is he is responsible for the environmental management of its poultry and swine operations.
Knapke is serving his seventh year as president of Mercer County Pheasants Forever. He is a former board member of the Wabash Watershed Alliance and works regularly with local soil and water conservation districts. He holds a bachelor’s degree of science in fisheries management from The Ohio State University.
Bertels VP of Production and Utilization
CHESTERFIELD, Mo. — The National Corn Growers Assoc. (NCGA) announced Paul Bertels, former director of agricultural economic analyses and environmental impacts, has been promoted to the position of vice president for Production and Utilization.
In his new role, he is responsible for strategic and ongoing departmental program planning and staff oversight, and serves on the NCGA management team. Prior to his employment at NCGA, he worked as an agricultural economist for the USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service.
Bertels grew up on a grain and cattle farm in southwestern Illinois. He then went on to earn both a bachelor of science degree in animal sciences and a master of science degree in agricultural economics from the University of Illinois. He runs a small farming operation with the assistance of his four sons.
Fisher joins Swine Breeders Hall of Fame URBANA, Ill. — Bill Fisher was honored in August as the newest inductee into the Illinois Purebred Swine Breeders Hall of Fame. In the 1990s, the Illinois Purebred Swine Council created this award to recognize swine breeders and families that have made a significant impact on the state’s purebred swine industry.
Fisher was raised in Nowata, Okla. He graduated from Oklahoma State University and in 1976, he received his master’s degree in animal sciences. In 1988, an opportunity came along and brought him back to the University of Illinois. Among other things, he has taught the swine sections of the introductory animal science classes and assisted with the production classes.
He remains an active director in the Illinois Pork Producers Assoc. and was recently appointed to the Governor’s Commission on Livestock. In July, Fisher retired from the UoI.
Breeder earns performance distinction
RICHMOND, Ind. — Doug Gerber of Richmond is the first Simmental breeder to record a perfect performance score of 600, earning the distinction of being the American Simmental Assoc. (ASA’s) first, full-blown Performance Advocate.
To earn that honor, he was required to submit complete data on all animals kept for breeding on each of six traits: calving ease, birth weight, weaning weight, yearling weight, yearling hip height and ultrasound or carcass measurements.
Nine other members were named in the honorable mention category.
Gerber, owner-operator of Gerber Land & Cattle, has been a breeder of registered beef cattle for more than 40 years. Starting out in the Polled Hereford business, he now describes his 130-head herd of cattle as “brand-central” between SimAngus, Hereford, Angus and Simmental in near equal numbers of each, offering his increasing customer base multiple seedstock products.
Steiner joins NAWG as Farm Policy director
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Eric J. Steiner joined the National Assoc. of Wheat Growers as director of government affairs for farm policy.
Steiner will lead the organization’s efforts on farm policy, crop insurance, transportation and trade issues.
He will be the primary NAWG staff member working on the association’s proposals for Title I programs and crop insurance in the next farm bill, and he will administer WheatPAC, the wheat industry’s political action committee.
Steiner has worked in both the legislative and executive branches of federal government since coming to Washington in 2002.
While at the Senate and the USDA, he attended the George Mason University School of Law. Since 2009, he has put his legal education into practice in the office of the general counsel at the U.S. Election Assistance Commission.
Steiner grew up on a small family farm in Indiana and earned a bachelor’s degree in agricultural education from Purdue University. |
