Farmers donate $450K to Eureka College EUREKA, Ill. (AP) — A farmer from the central Illinois city of Metamora and his wife have left $450,000 to Eureka College.
The endowment comes from the estate of Nelson and Janet Smith. Janet Smith was a 1945 graduate of Eureka College. School officials said the money is available for unrestricted use. Eureka College Vice President for Development Mike Murtagh said the most pressing needs for the school right now are “the financial assistance we can give our students, and to make some much needed repairs to our buildings.”
Along with the money, the couple also gifted the school an 1864 presidential campaign pin featuring Abraham Lincoln. Eureka College is the alma mater of the late President Ronald Reagan.
ISA needs names for Young Leader Program INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — Indiana soybean farmers interested in developing leadership skills are encouraged to apply to be Indiana Soybean Alliance’s (ISA) representative to the 2011 DuPont Young Leader program.
This national program, sponsored by the American Soybean Assoc. (ASA) and Pioneer Hi-Bred, is widely recognized throughout the agricultural industry for its longstanding tradition of cultivating emerging leaders who are passionate and committed to the success of the U.S. soybean industry.
The 2011 Indiana representative and their spouse will join participants from 24 other states and Canada as they participate in a challenging and educational leadership experience Dec. 5-8 at Pioneer headquarters in Johnstown, Iowa. They will complete their training experience March 1-5, 2011, in Tampa, Fla., in conjunction with the annual Commodity Classic.
Applicants may apply online directly at www.SoyGrowers.com/dyl or call 800-688-7692, ext. 1328, to obtain an application form. Soybean farmers are encouraged to apply or nominate another farmer who would be an excellent candidate for the program.
All applications and nominations should be returned by Aug. 31. For more information on the program, contact Cathy Arthur of ISA at carthur@indianasoybean.com or call 800-735-0195.
FFA exec to be housed under ISDA
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Lt. Gov. Becky Skillman, also Indiana’s Secretary of Agriculture and Rural Development, announced a new partnership between the Indiana State Department of Agriculture (ISDA) and Indiana FFA.
Beginning this summer, ISDA will house Indiana FFA’s executive director, who will continue to oversee the administration of the state organization. FFA had been housed at the Department of Education, and the agricultural curriculum and education aspects of FFA will continue to be housed there. Agriculture teachers will continue to be connected with the Department of Education, but they will now also have a direct link to ISDA.
The transition to ISDA will fit with the ISDA strategic goals of advocacy and education, as well as economic development and environmental stewardship. This partnership will better sync the programs at FFA and the goals of ISDA to allow FFA students to better use the ISDA resources.
Skillman said the selection of the FFA executive director position will be filled and ready to serve the FFA program later this summer. The position is funded by a federal Perkins Grant.
CME names Mohan managing director, DS
CHICAGO, Ill. — CME Group has named Craig J. Mohan as managing director, Co-Location and Data Center Services. Mohan, 41, will be responsible for the strategic development, management and overall execution of the company’s co-location and data center hosting business, including sales, product development and client services.
Mohan joins CME from Citadel Investment Group where he served as director, Global Infrastructure and was responsible for managing the firm’s networking, technical architecture and global operations. He earned a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering, with honors, from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
AgRobotics names Michell president, COO NORTH LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Charles V. Michell Jr. has been named president and chief operating officer for North Little Rock-based AgRobotics, LLC.
Michell was formerly head of U.S. Sales and Support Services lead at Monsanto Co. in St. Louis and was responsible for commercial operations with respect to supply and demand forecast planning, strategic account operations, customer service and inside sales. He is a graduate from Delta State University with a B.B.A. in Information Systems.
AgRobotics, founded in 2006, manufactures and distributes the world’s first on-the-go soil sample collection technology using its patented next generation precision agriculture machine called the AutoProbe.
Pettigrew wins Alltech Medal of Excellence LEXINGTON, Ky. — The revolutionary food production research of James Pettigrew was honored at Alltech’s 26th International Animal Health and Nutrition Symposium.
Pettigrew, a University of Illinois professor in the Department of Animal Science, was honored for his work in addressing the challenges of feeding an increasing global population. He is in his second term on the board of directors of the American Society of Animal Science (ASAS), for which he also chairs the Public Policy Committee. He supports the National Pork Board through membership on the Pork Safety Committee.
Pettigrew earned his bachelor’s degree from Southern Illinois University, his master’s from Iowa State University and his Ph.D. from UoI. He worked several years in industry before accepting a faculty appointment at the University of Minnesota, where he spent 17 years.
He founded Pettigrew Consulting International, LLC and also advised swine production companies in Brazil, Taiwan, Chile and Uruguay. Domestically, he served as a nutrition consultant to a large pig production company and worked with the National Pork Board in several capacities. In 2001, UoI recruited him under the Faculty Excellence Program. |
