Deere board picks CEO Allen as chairman

MOLINE, Ill. (AP) — Deere & Co., the largest U.S. manufacturer of farm equipment, said its board of directors has elected CEO Samuel R. Allen as chairman of the board.

Allen, 56, will succeed Chairman and former CEO Robert W. Lane, whose term expires Feb. 24, 2010. A 34-year veteran of Deere, Allen has been president of the company’s construction and forestry division since 2005. He has also been responsible for the global operations of its power systems group and has managed human resources, industrial relations and Deere’s global credit operations, the company said.

Allen was appointed CEO in June and took the top job Aug. 1, replacing Lane.

Ky. Women in Ag elects officers, delegates

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. — During its 10th annual meeting, the Kentucky Women in Agriculture (KWIA) elected officers and district delegates to its 2010 board of directors.

The following officers and delegates were elected to serve 2010-11: Vice President Michelle Armstrong (Spencer County), Treasurer Phyllis Amyx (Wolfe County), District 1 Delegate Gwenda Adkins (Elliott County), District 3 Delegate Jeanine Raymond (Jefferson County), District 5 Delegate Nancy Beatty Richardson (Nelson County) and District 7 Delegate, Becky Hicks (Lyon County).

Board members serve staggered two-year terms. Rounding out the full board, officers and delegates elected at last year’s conference were President Jenny Inman (Daviess County), Secretary Sharon Furches (Calloway County), Reporter Sandra Gardner (Anderson County), District 2 Delegate Pam Pilgrim, (Wolfe County), District 4 Delegate Mattie Clay (Franklin County) and District 6 Delegate Linda Dickerson (Warren County).

For more information or to join KWIA, visit www.kywomeninag.com or contact by e-mail at info@kywomeninag.com or by phone at 877-266-8823.

GROWMARK’s Piper receives Storms Award

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. — Tim Piper, GROWMARK executive director of IT and chief information officer, received the Ron Storms Award at the 2009 AgGateway annual conference in New Orleans.

The award recognizes individual efforts in the promotion of electronic standards and protocols in agribusiness. This lifetime achievement award is given annually to a member of AgGateway who displays characteristics of the late Ron Storms, including volunteerism, integrity, reliability, selflessness, character, courage and sincerity.

Bentson named CCA of the Year

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. — Doug Bentson, certified crop adviser (CCA) at GRAINCO FS, Inc. in Mazon, Ill., received the 2009 International Certified Crop Adviser of the Year award from the American Society of Agronomy (ASA) at its 2009 annual meeting in Pittsburgh.

This annual award recognizes a CCA who delivers exceptional customer service, shows that they are leaders in their field and contributes substantially to the exchange of ideas and the transfer of agronomic knowledge within the industry. The Illinois CCA Board and the Illinois Farm Bureau nominated Bentson for the award. GRAINCO FS is part of the GROWMARK System of member cooperatives.

Knoth will lead 2 Ky. grain associations

EASTWOOD, Ky. — Laura Knoth, Public Affairs Division director for the Kentucky Farm Bureau (KFB), has been named executive director of the Kentucky Corn and Kentucky Small Grain Growers Assocs. (KyCGA/KySGGA), which serve the interests of more than 2000 grain farmers across the Commonwealth.

Knoth will officially begin her responsibilities Jan. 4, 2010. She joined the KFB in 1991 as director of natural and environmental resources. A native of Grand Rivers, Ky., she is a graduate of the University of Kentucky, with a Bachelor of Science degree in agriculture with an emphasis in natural resources and environmental economics.

She worked as an environmental consultant with private industry before joining Kentucky Farm Bureau. Knoth succeeds Todd Barlow, KyCGA/KySGGA executive director for the last 18 years.

NAMA welcomes new board members

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The North American Millers Assoc. (NAMA) welcomes two new members to its board of directors.

Dan Dye, president of Horizon Milling LLC/Cargill, succeeds Guy Shoemaker on the board and Executive Committee. Shoemaker is retiring from Horizon in mid-December. Dye serves on the board of directors of Agriculture Future of America and is a member of the Chicago Board of Trade.

Bert Farrish, CEO of LifeLine Foods, LLC, also joins the board. He succeeds Bill Becker and Rick Stoecklein, who served as interim CEO. Farrish has more than 30 years experience in the agricultural sector, including four years as deputy administrator for Commodity Operations, Farm Service Agency/USDA.

Cassady is exec of Beef Improvement Fed.

SAINT JOSEPH, Mo. — Joe Cassady of Raleigh, N.C., took the reins as executive director of the Beef Improvement Federation (BIF) during the organization’s mid-year board meeting Nov. 9.

An associate professor in the College of Agriculture & Life Sciences at North Carolina State University, Cassady has research interests in quantitative and molecular genetic applications to improve food animal production, including feed efficiency in beef cattle. He will coordinate the activities of the board and ensure its directives are properly executed.

He will also be responsible for documenting the activities and finances of the federation and fostering its long-term vision by keeping abreast of the industry, monitoring new technologies and assisting the board in incorporating those technologies into its overall mission.

Cassady has been working with his predecessor, Twig Marston, during a transition period. Marston, who is northeast research and extension district director for the University of Nebraska, stated his desire to resign as BIF executive director in spring 2009, after six years of volunteer service.

Twitter nominees include #AgChat founder

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — A Brazilian pop star, Hollywood celebrities and an agricultural speaker are side-by-side in the race for an internationally-recognized social media award.

Mashable, The Social Media Guide, announced nominees for the 2009 Open Web Awards, and certified speaking professional Michele Payn-Knoper was one of the top five for Twitter User of the Year. There are more than two million “tweets” sent daily on the microblogging site Twitter and celebrities attract the largest number of followers, so agriculture’s representation on this list is an exciting opportunity for the agrifood business.

Payn-Knoper was nominated by members of an agricultural community located at #AgChat on Twitter, which Payn-Knoper founded in April.

AgChat is a weekly moderated conversation on Twitter for people in the business of raising food, feed, fuel and fiber. It is a virtual venue for participants on Twitter to discuss issues impacting agriculture.

AgChat is on Tuesdays from 8-10 p.m. Eastern via a “streaming” Twitter feed. A sister chat, FoodChat, takes place the third Tuesday of each month, in lieu of AgChat, and is tailored more specifically to the interests of consumers, nutrition professionals, foodies and influencers of food choices.