USDA makes Plant Variety Protection Board appointments

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue announced the appointment of 14 members to serve two-year terms on the Plant Variety Protection Board. Two alternate members were also appointed.

Newly appointed members include: Katherine White of Detroit, Mich., from the academia sector; Wendell Shauman (Alternate) of Kirkwood, Ill., from the farm sector; from the general interest sector, Heidi Nebel of Des Moines, Iowa; government sector representative Brent Burchett of Frankfort, Ky.; and from the seed industry sector, John Duesing of Johnston, Iowa.

The Plant Variety Protection Act secures intellectual property rights for developers of new varieties of plants. The board members represent farmers, seed industry, trade and professional associations and public and private research institutions.

AgriNovus adds startup, state executives to board of directors

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: Ellie Symes, CEO of The Bee Corp.; Johnny Park, vice president of research for DTN, Inc.; Micah Vincent, director of the Indiana Office of Management and Budget (OMB); and David Roberts, chief innovation officer for the Indiana Economic Development Corp.

Symes is co-founder and CEO of The Bee Corp. Launched in 2016, it assists beekeepers in reducing beehive loss through Internet of Things (IoT) and data analytics. She earned her master of public affairs in information systems in 2018 and a bachelor of science degree in Environmental Management in 2016 from the Indiana University School of Public and Environmental Affairs.

Park is the vice president of research at DTN and founder of Spensa Technologies, which was acquired by DTN in March 2018. He is passionate about agricultural innovation that will reduce reliance on manual labor, foster eco-friendly farming and enhance crop production efficiency. He received his bachelor’s, master’s and doctorate degrees from the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Purdue University.

Vincent previously served as the OMB's general counsel and policy director, and as commissioner of the Indiana Department of Local Governance Finance, among other roles. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Purdue and a law degree from Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law.

Roberts previously served as president of the Battery Innovation Center at the WestGate@Crane Technology Park, among other appointments. He received a law degree from the McKinney School of Law, where he served on the Indiana Law Review, and a bachelor’s degree in materials science and engineering from Lehigh University.

Tractor Supply shareholders elect Jackson to board

BRENTWOOD, Tenn. — Shareholders of Tractor Supply Co. elected Denise L. Jackson to its board of directors at the company’s Annual Meeting of Shareholders.

They also reelected directors Cynthia T. Jamison, Peter D. Bewley, Thomas A. Kingsbury, Ramkumar Krishnan, George MacKenzie, Edna K. Morris, Mark J. Weikel and Gregory A. Sandfort (CEO and director).

With the election of Jackson, Johnston C. Adams has retired from the board. He did not stand for reelection. The total number of directors remains at nine members.

Family Farms appoints Rogge-Fidler as new CEO

BRIGHTON, Ill. — Family Farms LLC is pleased to announce it has appointed Shari Rogge-Fidler as its new CEO, effective immediately. A native of Nebraska, she is a fifth-generation farmer with extensive experience in national and international agribusiness.

Family Farms LLC, comprised of Family Farms Group and related companies, serves a growing network of family farms. In January 2018, after 50 years’ service to the world of agriculture, Allen Lash, founder and longtime CEO, announced his intention to retire upon appointment of a successor.

Holcomb appoints to soil conservation, ports boards

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — Gov. Eric Holcomb recently announced several new appointments and reappointments to various state boards, commissions and councils.

He made two reappointments to the Soil Conservation Board, administered by the Indiana State Department of Agriculture. Warren Baird of Atlanta, retired, and Larry Clemens of Angola, North American agriculture director with The Nature Conservancy, will continue their board service until Nov. 30, 2021.

Holcomb also made two new appointments to the board, serving until Nov. 30, 2021: Kenny Cain of Darlington, of Cain’s Homelike Farms, and Brad Dawson of Guilford, regional sales manager with FiNN All Seasons.

He also appointed Bob Bowen of Indianapolis to the Ports Commission, through June 30, 2022. Bowen is founder and chair of Bowen Engineering Corp. In addition, Greg Gibson of Brazil was reappointed through the same date; he is president of ReTec Corp.

Cooper succeeding Dinneen as president, CEO of RFA

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Renewable Fuels Assoc. (RFA) announced Executive Vice President Geoff Cooper will assume the position of president and CEO in October, while current President and CEO Bob Dinneen will transition into the role of RFA’s senior strategic advisor.

Dinneen has been with RFA for more than 30 years, including serving as president and CEO since 2001. During his tenure, he led the industry and achieved a number of landmark legislative and regulatory victories for ethanol, including passage of the original Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) in 2005 and significant expansion and extension of the RFS program in 2007.

Cooper joined RFA in 2008 as the organization’s director of research and analysis and ascended to executive vice president by 2016. He previously worked on ethanol issues for the National Corn Growers Assoc. and served as a Captain in the U.S. Army, specializing in bulk petroleum product logistics. In recent years, he has led RFA’s regulatory activities, while also overseeing its research and technical initiatives, supporting public and media relations efforts and managing the Renewable Fuels Foundation.

Stitzlein elected U.S. Grains Council chair at Denver meeting

DENVER, Colo. — Delegates of the U.S. Grains Council (USGC) elected as chair Jim Stitzlein, manager of market development for Consolidated Grain and Barge Co., at its 58th Annual Board of Delegates Meeting.

Stitzlein has more than 40 years of experience in the commodity grain handling and export business, including local origination programs, hedging and merchandising, transportation, logistics and facility management and export trading and documentation.

Involved with the USGC for more than 20 years, he has traveled extensively for it, is active in the National Grain and Feed Assoc., from which he received the NGFA Distinguished Service Award, and has broadly participated in other activities related to quality and biotechnology as they impact the grain trade.

Stitzlein grew up working on his family farm in Ohio where he was active in 4-H and FFA. He earned both bachelor’s and master’s degrees in agricultural economics from The Ohio State University.

In addition, USGC delegates elected Jim Raben from the Illinois Corn Marketing Board as secretary/treasurer, sector directors and three at-large directors. The new board of directors will serve until July 2019.

Apply now for the 2018-19 ASA Young Leader Program

ST. LOUIS, Mo. — The American Soybean Assoc. (ASA) and Corteva Agriscience are seeking applicants for the 2018-19 Young Leader Program (YLP). For more than 30 years, the ASA YLP has identified and developed grower leaders who have shaped the agricultural industry.

Phase I of the YLP will take place in Johnston, Iowa, Nov. 27-30. The program continues Feb. 28-March 2, 2019, in Orlando, Fla., in conjunction with the annual Commodity Classic Convention and Trade Show.

Soybean grower couples and individuals are encouraged to apply for the program, which focuses on leadership and communication, the latest agricultural information and the development of a strong peer network. Applications are being accepted online now; the deadline is Sept. 26. Visit this site for more information: http://soygrowers.com/learn/young-leader-program

Barr and Kober selected as Michigan assistant state vets

LANSING, Mich. — State Veterinarian James Averill, DVM announced the selection of Nancy Barr, DVM, and James Kober, DVM, for the two assistant state veterinarian positions within the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development’s Animal Industry Division.

The positions were open due to the retirements of Nancy Frank, DVM and Rick Smith, DVM.

Barr will lead the ruminant programs (cattle, sheep, goats and farmed deer) within the division, which includes the Bovine Tuberculosis Program. She has more than 21 years of combined veterinary experience. After beginning her career at a small animal clinic, she began working at MDARD as a field veterinarian.

Barr has a bachelor of science in zoology from Michigan State University and a doctorate of veterinary medicine from MSU’s College Veterinary of Medicine.

Kober will lead the non-ruminant programs (cats, dogs, horses, pigs and aquaculture). He has more than 30 years of experience. He started at the Bergman Veterinary Medical Center in 1987 with a primary focus on swine. In his most recent role, he was the owner of Swine Veterinary Services of Michigan.

Kober has a bachelor of science in animal science from Michigan State University and a doctorate of veterinary medicine from MSU’s College of Veterinary Medicine.

Three reappointed to Michigan Beef Industry Commission

LANSING, Mich. — Gov. Rick Snyder announced the reappointments of Jon Haindl of Cooks, Leonard Brown of Sandusky and Dale Oeschger of Bay Port, Mich., to the Michigan Beef Industry Commission.

Haindl is the owner of a 225-head cow-calf operation in the Upper Peninsula.  He has more than 50 years of experience as a cattle producer.  He represents the cow-calf segment of the beef industry and serves as the commission’s treasurer.

Brown farms with his brother and their three sons at Brown Brothers Dairy in Sandusky.  The family milk approximately 100 Holstein cows, feed their bull calves to market weight and manage a diversified cropping system.

Oeschger is a cattle feeder from Huron County, where he finishes approximately 800 beef cattle each year and raises crops.  He is a leader in the Michigan Cattlemen’s Assoc. and the Michigan Farm Bureau.  He is chair of the commission and a director of the Federation of State Beef Councils.

Members will serve three-year terms expiring May 31, 2021.

American Seed Trade chooses its 2018-19 officer team

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The American Seed Trade Assoc. (ASTA) is pleased to announce its 2018-19 officer team, elected during the Policy & Leadership Development Conference. They are, as of July 1:

•Chair Dr. Jerry Flint, Corteva Agriscience, Agriculture Division of DowDuPont

•First Vice Chair Wayne Gale, Stokes Seeds

•Second Vice Chair John Latham, Latham Hi-Tech Seeds

Newly-elected regional vice presidents are Rick Falconer, Rijk Zwaan (Western Region) and John Romines, WinField Solutions (North Central).

Flint leads Global Initiatives and Sustainability for Corteva Agriscience. Throughout his 25-plus year career, he has served on several committees and held leadership roles to support and promote the seed and crop protection industry.

In addition to serving as an ASTA officer for the past two years, Flint is a member of ASTA’s International Executive Committee. He also serves on the Crop Life International Plant Biotech Steering Committee, the Biotechnology Industry Organization Food and Agriculture Governing Board and is a member of the National FFA Sponsors Board.