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Names in the News - February 7, 2018
 

USFRA names new board members at November meeting

CHESTERFIELD, Mo. — The U.S. Farmers and Ranchers Alliance's (USFRA) newest board members are critical to ensure farmers and ranchers are present in influential conversations about food and agriculture. USFRA elected these four board members at its fall board meeting on Nov. 7 in Kansas City, Mo:

•James Adams, former chair of U.S. Poultry & Egg Assoc. He currently serves as the vice chair of the board of the Wenger Group and acting chief operating officer of Wenger Feeds, LLC in Rheems, Pa.

•Steve Geick is the director of Industry Relations for John Deere's Agricultural and Turf Division. He works with stakeholders across North America who share an interest in the future of agriculture, and he proactively builds and promotes influential relationships, programs and policies in his role.

•Amanda Rinehart is the U.S. marketing leader for DuPont Pioneer, where she manages a team focused on seed product strategy and promotion as well as strategic account sales management. She also serves as vice chair of the Iowa Agriculture Literacy Foundation.

•Blair Van Zetten is the president of Oskaloosa Food Products, a processor of liquid, frozen and dried eggs. He is the immediate past chair of the American Egg Board and works with his son on their third-generation family farm in Oskaloosa, Iowa.

RFD-TV takes home three 2017 NAFB Awards

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The National Assoc. of Farm Broadcasting (NAFB) held its annual awards luncheon as part of the national convention on Nov. 8-10, in Kansas City, Mo.

RFD-TV News was pleased to announce that Markets Editor Mark Oppold won the first-place award. In addition, Markets Editor Marlin Bohling took a second-place Video Marketcast Award, and meteorologist Christina Loren was honored with a second-place win for the Video Newscast Award.

Award criteria were based on content, delivery, professionalism and the quality of information delivered by each news outlet. The NAFB stated there were a record number of entries submitted in 2017.

Perdue announces United Soybean Board appointments

WASHINGTON, D.C. — USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue announced the appointment of 19 members and three alternate members to serve on the United Soybean Board. The producers appointed to serve three-year terms are:

Annie Dee, Aliceville, Ala.; Robert Stobaugh, Atkins, Ark.; Gary Berg, Saint Elmo, Ill.; Tom Griffiths, Kendallville, Ind.; Thomas E. Oswald, Cleghorn, Iowa; Larry K. Marek, Riverside, Iowa; Dennis Gruenbacher, Andale, Kan.; Keith N. Tapp, Sebree, Ky.; Belinda Burrier, Union Bridge, Md.; Herb Miller, Niles, Mich.; Lawrence Sukalski, Fairmont, Minn.; Philip Good, Macon, Miss.; Lewis Rone, Pontageville, Mo.; Mike Korth, Randolph, Neb.; Dave Dotterer, Rittman, Ohio; Ellie W. Green Jr., Lynchburg, S.C.; Marc V. Reiner, Tripp, S.D.; David Nichols, Ridgely, Tenn.; and Andrew W. Scott Jr., Monte Alto, Texas

The three alternates are: Colt Clemmons, Killen, Ala.;    Fitzhugh Bethea, Dillon, S.C.; and Daniel C. Berglund, Wharton, Texas

The board is composed of 73 members representing 29 states and Eastern and Western regions. To become a member, you must be a soybean producer and nominated by a qualified state soybean board.

CountryMark recognizes outstanding energy professionals

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — CountryMark recently honored five energy professionals for outstanding performance and leadership during the annual CountryMark Awards Banquet in Indianapolis.

Award recipients were nominated by their member cooperative and were evaluated against a set of desirable criteria and traits. The criteria included, but were not limited to, professionalism, superior customer relations, leadership characteristics and the implementation of innovative ideas. The 2017 CountryMark Achievement Award winners included:

•Energy Support Representative of the Year: Paula Fry – Co-Alliance

•Energy Sales Representative of the Year Winners: Brent Stang – Harvest Land Co-op; Gary Austin – Ceres Solutions

•Energy Sales Specialist of the Year: Mark Burch – Ceres Solutions

•Energy Department Manager of the Year: Mike Riggins – White River Co-op

Additional recognition was given to CountryMark’s 13 member cooperative energy teams for their outstanding sales accomplishments this past year. Special awards were presented to Ceres Solutions, North Central Co-op and Co-Alliance for achieving the highest overall liquid fuel sales volume.

Ceres, North Central and Harvest Land Co-op were also recognized for their overall lubricant sales volume, and North Central was awarded for highest percentage increases in lubricant sales. In addition, Superior Ag was awarded for achieving the highest-percent increase in fuel sales in the past 12 months.

CoBank announces 2018 officers, including Co-Alliance CEO

DENVER, Colo. — CoBank announced board officers for 2018. The board elects its officers to serve a one-year term commencing Jan. 1 and expiring Dec. 31 each year.

Kevin Riel will serve as board chair, succeeding longtime board chair Everett Dobrinski. A director since 2014 and first vice chair in 2017, Riel is the president and CEO of Double “R” Hop Ranches, Inc. and managing partner of WLJ Investments, LLC, a land holding and management company, all located in Harrah, Wash.

Jon Marthedal will serve as first vice chair. He is the owner and operator of Marthedal Farms in Fresno, Calif.; president of Marthedal Enterprises, Inc., a provider of farm management and custom agriculture services; and owner and operator of Keystone Blue Farms, a blueberry farming operation.

Kevin Still will serve as second vice chair. He is president and CEO of Co-Alliance, LLP, a partnership of five cooperatives supplying energy, agronomy and animal nutrition, producing swine and marketing grain in Avon, Ind. He is chair of Local Harvest Food, a food broker, vice president and director of Connexities, LLC, a technology provider, an officer of Agronomy Services, LLP and president of Northwind Pork, LLC, a pork producing operation. He is also the owner and president of Still Farms, LLC, a grain farm.

Dobrinski, a farmer from North Dakota, remains a member of the board with a term expiring in 2019. Directors Gary Miller, Ken Shaw and Stephanie Herseth Sandlin stepped down from the CoBank board at the end of 2017.

Land O'Lakes promotes Ford and Oelmann to leadership

ARDEN HILLS, Minn. — As Land O'Lakes, Inc. continues its strong growth trajectory, the company announced the promotions of Beth Ford and Brad Oelmann. Ford now heads all Land O'Lakes Businesses and Oelmann heads all Land O'Lakes Services.

Ford has been promoted to chief operating officer, Land O'Lakes Businesses. Since being named the head of the food and feed businesses, she has guided successful strategic and financial years. She joined Land O'Lakes in 2011 from International Flavors and Fragrances (IFF). She earned an MBA from Columbia University Business School and a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Iowa State University.

Oelmann has been promoted to chief operating officer, Land O'Lakes Services. He was named EVP, Member Relations, Business Development Services in the spring. His new role will bring together all services Land O'Lakes offers to its valuable co-op members. In addition to being CEO of both United Suppliers, Inc. and Aligned Ag Distributors, he played key marketing roles for United Suppliers and spent a year with United Agri Products (UAP) as director of products and markets. He holds a bachelor of science degree in ag business from ISU and grew up on a farm in north-central Iowa.

American Black Hereford Assoc.’s 2017 National Show Results

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. — The Annual American Black Hereford Assoc.’s (ABHA) show was Nov. 10, 2017, in Sedalia, MO. The event, held in conjunction with the National Sale and Membership Meeting, continues to grow.

The ABHA is a producer organization with breeder members across the United States, Mexico and Canada. Results from the show include these participants from the Farm World area:

F1 Heifer Show: Calf Division Reserve Champion SCC Spring Fling 710, exhibited by Smith Black Herefords of Newton, Iowa, sired by Chez AA Next Level ET.

HX Show: Champion HX SBH 0124 Lady N Red 702, exhibited by Smith Black Herefords, sired by RST Times A Wastin 0124.

Percentage Heifer Show: Calf Division Reserve Champion JM Ms Flinger 4158 747 707ET ET, exhibited by JM Cattle Co. of Lawrenceburg, Tenn., sired by BF 109 Flinger 4158 ET.

Purebred Heifer Show: Calf Division Champion JM MMM Miss Fling 1217 1702ET ET and Reserve Purebred Heifer JM MMM Miss Fling 1217 1702ET ET, both sired by BF 109 Flinger 4158 ET; and Junior Division Reserve Champion JMCC VCF Ms Cat 1217 6105ET, sired by C ETF Wildcat 4248 ET, all exhibited by JM Cattle Co.

Percentage Bull Show: Calf Division Champion JM Decree 473 1123 721, exhibited by JM Cattle Co., sired by JMCC JO BF Apollo Creed 473.

Purebred Bull Show: Calf Division Champion and Reserve Champion Purebred Bull JM BLZ Crusher 4158 1217 1704 ET, sired by BF 109 Flinger 4158 ET; Junior Division Champion and Champion Purebred Bull JM Showtime 1217 611 ET, sired by LOEWEN C&L 33N Apollo A42 ET; and Junior Division Reserve Champion JMCC VCF Wildcat 6102ET, sired by C ETF Wildcat 4248 ET, all exhibited by JM Cattle Co.

Senior Division Champion WCF Iron Slinger 6C5, exhibited by Walters Cattle Farms of Wickliffe, Ky., sired by ER Iron Man's Manny Estevan 1BK.

F1 Pen Show: Champion Single Pen Heifer VH 7236 Miss Advantage and Reserve Champion Single Pen Heifer VH 7240 Lets Dance, both sired by Bar Z Balder 8211 and both exhibited by VanHouweling Cattle Co. of Prairie City, Iowa.

Percentage Pen Show: Junior Division Reserve Champion Pen exhibited by Longview Farms of New Virginia, Iowa.

 Purebred Pen Show: Junior Division Champion and Reserve Champion exhibited by Sweet T Farm of Cynthiana, Ky., which also exhibited the Champion and Reserve Champion Purebred Pens.

The location and date of the 2018 ABHA event will be announced this spring. To learn more about the organization, visit www.blackhereford.org

National Corn Growers announces national yield winners

ST. LOUIS, Mo. — Improved seed varieties, advanced production techniques and innovative growing practices helped corn growers achieve ever-higher yields in the National Corn Growers Assoc. (NCGA) 2017 National Corn Yield Contest. Again, five national entries surpassed the 400-plus bushel per acre mark.

The 18 winners in six production categories had verified yields averaging more than 386 bushels per acre, compared to the projected national average of 175.4 in 2017. While there is no overall contest winner, yields from first-, second- and third-place farmers overall production categories topped out at 542.2740.

Winners receive national recognition in publications such as the NCYC Corn Yield Guide, as well as cash trips or other awards from participating sponsoring seed, chemical and crop protection companies. The winners will be honored during the Commodity Classic in Anaheim, Calif. Farm World area national winners in the following categories are:

AA Non-Irrigated: Kevin Kalb, Dubois, Ind., planting DEKALB DKC66-74RIB with a yield of 386.163 bushels per acre, in first place; Jeannie Linneweber, Vincennes, Ind., planting Pioneer P1479AM with a yield of 347.5034, in second place; and Donald Waters, Cumberland, Iowa, planting DEKALB DKC63-35RIB with a yield of 343.2731, in third place.

AA No-Till/Strip-Till Non-Irrigated: Shawn Kalb, Dubois, Ind., planting DEKALB DKC68-26RIB with a yield of 354.1344, in first place; Robert Little, Hebron, Ind., planting Pioneer P1366AM with a yield of 338.6089, in second place; and Faith Little, Hebron, planting Pioneer P1197AM with a yield of 322.7161, in third place.

Irrigated: Don Stall, Charlotte, Mich., planting Pioneer P0574AM with a yield of 407.2162, in first place.

NBB elects governing board, hires VP Federal Affairs

WASHINGTON, D.C. — While in Washington, D.C., to advocate for biodiesel industry jobs across the country, National Biodiesel Board members in late 2017 selected their trade association leadership. The board reflects the wide range of member companies in the biodiesel industry from feedstock operations to producers.

NBB members voted to fill eight board member spots for two-year terms, including: Kent Engelbrecht of ADM, Ron Heck of Iowa Soybean Assoc.,     Steve Nogel of Ag Environmental Products; Ryan Pedersonof North Dakota Soybean Council; Harry Simpson of Crimson Renewable Energy LP, Paul Soanes of RBP Port Neches LLC, Robert Stobaugh of Arkansas Soybean Promotion Board, and Chad Stone of REG, Inc.

Greg Anderson, Jennifer Case, Mike Cunningham, Tim Keaveney, Bob Morton, and Mike Rath continue to serve on the board. The board also reelected the current slate of officers with Kent Engelbrecht serving as chair, Mike Cunningham as vice chair, Greg Anderson as treasurer and Chad Stone as secretary.

The NBB is also pleased to announce that Kurt Kovarik, a senior advisor and legislative director of U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), has accepted the position of vice president of Federal Affairs and began work the week of Jan. 8. He had served as the legislative director for Grassley since January 2017.

National FFA announces appointments to Sponsors’ Board

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — Since its inception in 1947, the National FFA Foundation Sponsors’ Board has supported the foundation in securing funding in support of FFA and agricultural education.

The group, comprised of approximately 40 top corporate executives who support the vision and mission of FFA and are interested in promoting careers in agribusiness, agriculture and food production, entrepreneurship and FFA, announced the following appointments to its Sponsors’ Board:

•Susanne Wasson, chair: vice president of Commercial Effectiveness, Agriculture Division of DowDuPont

•Doug Griffin: principal of The Context Network

•John Grunewald: president/CEO of Farm Credit of Western Oklahoma

•Gary Halvorson: vice president, Agronomy of CHS, Inc.

•Martha Hennigan: assistant director, Sales and Marketing Operations of Kubota Tractor Corp.

•Johnny Hughes: senior vice president, Food Service Sales of Tyson Foods

•Christi Korzekwa: senior vice president, Marketing of Tractor Supply Co.

•Jon Lowe: vice president, U.S. Cattle and Equine Business of Zoetis

•Alistair McLelland: vice president, Marketing, North America of AGCO

•Scott Mortimer: vice president/group publisher Agrimedia, Successful Farming Advertising Sales, Meredith Corp.

•Melissa Proffitt: managing partner, Ice Miller LLP

•Bobbi Jo Raffetto: vice president and general manager, Sweets & Cereals of Kerry Taste & Nutrition

•Greg Schneider: vice president of Supply Chain Management of Culver’s

•Steve Sutherland: director, North America Sales & Distribution of Firestone Farm Tires

The Foundation also announced the following new appointments to its current Individual Giving Council:

•Jay Vroom, chair: president/CEO of CropLife America of Washington, D.C.

•Dwight Armstrong: founder of JDA Consulting, LLC, of Nashville, Tenn.

•Jim Loar: president/CEO of Cool Planet, Denver, Colo.

•Bruce Maloch: vice chair and general counsel of Farmers Bank and Trust of Magnolia, Ark., and an Arkansas state senator

USDA recognizes 2017 Presidential Rank Award winners

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The USDA recognized three of its talented employees for being honored as fiscal year 2017 Presidential Rank Award winners. Jere L. Dick of the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) received a Distinguished Rank award, and both Cyril G. Gay and Jerry L. Hatfield of the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) received Meritorious Professional awards.

Dick serves as associate administrator of APHIS and received this award for, among many things, his role in response efforts to the 2015 highly pathogenic avian influenza virus in poultry, as well as his work in developing USDA’s new feral swine control program. Gay, who has led the USDA-ARS Animal Health National Program for 15 years, received the award in part for his international recognition as a leading authority in vaccinology and biodefense research.

Hatfield, director of ARS’ National Laboratory for Agriculture and the Environment in Ames, Iowa, received the award for his extensive research on agriculture’s influence on environmental quality. He leads the agriculture sector for the National Climate Assessment, part of the Nobel Prize-winning Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

Jones and Hora join Growmark board of directors

(mugs in 6351)

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. — Andy Jones and Brian Hora have joined the Growmark board of directors through two separate processes. Hora was elected by shareholders to represent Growmark’s geographical Zone D, while Jones was appointed by the Growmark board to be an at-large director representing the cooperative’s business in its Eastern Region.

Jones currently serves as chair of the board at Legacy Farmers Cooperative, an FS company based in Findlay, Ohio. He has served on the Legacy Farmers Cooperative Board since 2011. He operates a 2,100-acre cash grain enterprise in Bloomdale.

Hora was elected to the board to represent Iowa and states north and west. He operates a 650-acre corn and soybean farm in Ainsworth, Iowa. He has served as a director of AGRILAND FS since 2000.

The Fertilizer Institute picks 2018 Crop of 4R Advocates

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Fertilizer Institute (TFI) named five farmer and fertilizer retailers pairs who are implementing innovative and sustainable 4R fertilizer management practices on the farm to increase production and reduce their environmental impact.

These 2018 4R Advocates farm 19,250 acres of land using 4R Nutrient Stewardship practices. Now in its seventh year, the 4R Advocate Program has recognized 40 agricultural producers and retailers, farming 163,675 acres in 19 states. These forward-thinking individuals serve as examples by championing sound nutrient stewardship.

The 2018 Advocates include, from the Farm World area, Maria Cox of Whitehall, Ill., and Kyle Lake of CHS Carrollton in Carrollton, Ill. They will be honored at an awards banquet hosted by TFI at the 2018 Commodity Classic in Anaheim, Calif., where they will also represent the 4R program during the trade show.

Throughout the year they will also be part of TFI’s outreach efforts to promote fertilizer management practices by hosting farm field days, participating in conference panels and speaking on behalf of 4Rs to their farming peers.

Bradford named Indiana Certified Crop Advisor of Year

(mug in 6351)

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — Indiana Farm Bureau (FB) and the Indiana Certified Crop Advisor Program named William Bradford, a member of Wells County FB, as the 2017 Indiana Certified Crop Advisor (CCA) of the Year.

The award recognizes an individual who has performed superior service in nutrient management, soil and water management, pest management and crop production. Bradford was recognized by his peers for providing exemplary seed recommendations, crop protection plans and fertilizer recommendations, as well as for his robust scouting and soil testing efforts.

The two growers who nominated him said their families have relied on Bradford’s expertise for generations. He graduated from Purdue University with a bachelor’s degree in agriculture and has been a crop consultant for 38 years. To be considered for the award, a CCA must be certified in Indiana and be nominated by a county FB, an active FB member or by the employer of the CCA.

Bradford was nominated by his employer, Bill Klein, an area branch manager for Helena Chemical, and Bruce Herr, president of the Wells County FB.

Two new field managers join Soil Health Partnership team

ST. LOUIS, Mo. — Two new field managers have joined the Soil Health Partnership (SHP), a farmer-led initiative that fosters transformation in agriculture through improved soil health. Abigail Peterson and Alex Fiock will help manage the growing number of farmers enrolled in the program in Illinois and Indiana.

SHP field managers help new farmers get started in the program with identifying the practices that will work best for them to improve soil health on their farms, and assist with implementation, soil sampling and education. Field managers also help organize, attend and offer presentations at field days.

Peterson, a Certified Crop Advisor, will work in southern Illinois, and joins current Illinois Field Manager Jim Isermann in working with more than 30 farmers enrolled in that state. She joined SHP after two years with DuPont Pioneer, and is a graduate of Iowa State University with a bachelor’s degree in agronomy.

Fiock will manage northern Indiana. He grew up in Bluffton with a love of farming, fostered by his grandfather. He joins current Indiana Field Manager Hans Kok in helping with the 30 farmers in Indiana. Prior to joining the partnership, he worked in seed sales covering 15 Indiana counties and is a graduate of Purdue University, majoring in natural resource environmental science with a focus in agronomy and soil science.

Young Farmer reps appointed to national committee

(mug in 6351)

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — Dan and Kelly Snipes, Indiana Farm Bureau State Young Farmer Committee representatives, have been appointed to serve on the American Farm Bureau Federation Young Farmer & Rancher Committee for 2018-20.

Prior to this appointment, the Snipeses, from Fulton County, represented young farm families in Fulton, Lake, LaPorte, Marshall, Porter, Pulaski, St. Joseph and Starke counties. While serving on the national committee, they will help evaluate and update AFBF’s Young Farmer & Rancher long-term plan and serve on a subcommittee as well as a contact for several state young farmer groups.

The Snipes family lives in Rochester, where they grow corn and soybeans on their fourth generation farm. Dan is also an equipment salesman for New Holland Rochester and Kelly also runs her own business offering graphic design, web design and writing services for agribusinesses, farms and other clientele.

The AFBF Young Farmer & Rancher Committee is comprised of 16 positions all representing different regions of the country. The Snipeses will represent Indiana and several adjacent states.

Owens named forestry agribusiness development consultant

(mug in 6351)

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — With more than 13 years of experience in the forestry industry, Neil Owens has been appointed forestry agribusiness development consultant for the Tennessee Department of Agriculture (TDA).

This new position is the result of realignment of resources and staff positions within the TDA to better address agribusiness growth and development. Owens transitions from the role of state forest program specialist with TDA’s Division of Forestry.

He has a history of forestry consulting in the private sector prior to joining TDA, providing management strategies, promoting sustainable forestry initiatives and managing more than 20,000 acres of timberland for investment firms and private landowners. A West Virginia native, he moved to Tennessee to obtain his bachelor of science degree in resource management from the University of Tennessee.

Three new directors join Indiana Farm Bureau board

(mugs in 6351; Paris on left)

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — Indiana Farm Bureau (INFB) welcomed three new directors to its state board. Joining the existing 10 board members is Kermit J. Paris representing District 8, Dr. Marybeth Feutz representing District 9 and Bob Geswein representing District 10.

All three new board members were voted into their positions in late 2017 by INFB member delegates in their district. Board members serve three-year terms and can serve no more than four successive terms.

Paris is filling the position previously held by Mark Bacon, also of Rush County. He and his wife, Diane, own and operate Clifty Creek Farm in southern Rush County and two farms in Shelby County, and he and his brothers own Lone Hill Farms, Inc. in Boone, Fayette and Fountain counties.

Feutz, who lives in Gibson County, is filling the position previously held by Philip Springstun of Warrick County. She has a degree in veterinary medicine, holds a separate Ph.D. in equine respiratory disease and is a consultant for the veterinary hospital owned by her husband, John, and his father. The family farms, maintaining a cow-calf herd that includes registered Angus cattle, and also raise hay and sell produce.

Geswein, who lives in Floyd County, is filling the position previously held by Robert L. Schickel of Harrison County. He is an energy advisor for Harrison Rural Electric Membership Cooperative, a position he’s held for more than 22 years, where he’s presented around 1,000 energy seminars. He owns a small farm that produces corn and soybeans.

 

2/8/2018