Wallaces Farmer

List includes 30 individuals who are at the forefront of agriculture.

March 18, 2019

3 Min Read
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AgGrad’s 30 Under 30 Awards have been announced. Fourteen judges selected winners from peer and self nominations based on contributions in their career, community, and the industry at large. Winners will be featured on AgGrad's social media channels and in a special print and online publication.

AgGrad 30 Under 30 Winners For 2019 By Category Include:

Production

  1. Ethan Smith, Farm and Ranch Manager, Farmers National Company, Texas;

  2. Griffin Huelsman, Farm Management, Mulberry Orchard/ Gajdzik Farms, Kentucky;

  3. Jarrod Creasy, Owner, 920 Cattle & Company, Georgia;

  4. Jonathan Williams, Sales Agronomist, Hoegemeyer Hybrids, Kansas;

  5. Kaden Eisenbraun, Ranch Hand/ Livestock Producer, Farm Bureau Financial Services, South Dakota;

Innovation & Technology

  1. Bharath Sudarsan, Director of Artificial Intelligence, SomaDetect Inc., Canada;

  2. Bo Harstine, Director of Research, Select Sires Inc, Ohio;

  3. John Farmer, Chief of Staff, Clara Foods, California;

  4. Lynn Wischmeyer-Moore, Innovation Specialist, Nestle, Ohio;

  5. Yael Cypers, Animal Welfare Program Manager, Chipotle Mexican Grill, California;

Entrepreneurship

  1. Colin Hurd, Founder CEO of Smart Ag, Iowa;

  2. Connie Bowen, Director of Operations, The Yield Lab Institute, Missouri;

  3. Jonathan Hua, THRIVE AgTech Accelerator Program Manager, SVG Partners, California;

  4. Karoline Rose, CEO of KRose Marketing and KRose Cattle Co., Montana;

  5. Matthew Rooda, CEO, SwineTech, Inc., Iowa;

  6. Steven Brockshus, Founder & CEO, FarmlandFinder, Iowa;

Education & Advocacy

  1. Allyson Jones-Brimmer, Director of Industry Relations, Animal Agriculture Alliance, Washington, D.C.;

  2. Caleb Wright, Chief Operating Officer, Versant Strategies, Pennsylvania;

  3. Elizabeth Burns-Thompson, Corporate Affairs, Renewable Energy Group, Iowa;

  4. John Romo, Director of Programs in West Africa, AgriCorps, Ghana;

  5. Riley Pagett, Director of Advocacy & Government Relations, National FFA Organization, Washington, D.C.;

Agribusiness

  1. Alexander Fotsch, Vice President of Agricultural Operations, Locus Agricultural Solutions, California;

  2. Andrew Lauver, Industry Relations Manager, North America – Syngenta, Iowa;

  3. Jessica Kueffer, Recruitment & Employee Development Manager at MFA Incorporated, Missouri;

  4. Levi Hall, General Manager - Beach Cooperative Grain Company; General Manager - Golden Valley Ingredients; Partner - Hall Stock Farm, Ohio;

  5. Lucas Fuess, Director of Market Intelligence, HighGround Dairy, Illinois;

  6. Mackenzie Dierks, Sustainable Ag Consultant, KCoe Isom, Iowa;

  7. Meg Becker, Marketing Specialist, Cargill Animal Nutrition, Ohio;

  8. Mindy McBee, U.S. Pricing and Formulation Manager, Cargill, Missouri;

  9. Seth Pratt, Senior Business Analyst, The Context Network, Idaho.

“As the agriculture industry transforms, the need for talent is accelerating,” says Janette Barnard, Vice President of Sales & Marketing at DecisionNext. “Innovative leaders who challenge the status quo, think long term and build people are what this industry needs. It’s exciting to recognize the young people who embody these qualities with AgGrad 30 Under 30.”

"We are very excited to recognize our first class of AgGrad 30 Under 30 winners,” says Tim Hammerich, AgGrad founder. “These 30 individuals are at the forefront of agriculture and will one day be the leaders in agribusiness, innovation and technology, education and advocacy, entrepreneurship, and production.”

AgGrad was established in 2015 with the mission of “helping young professionals find their place in modern agriculture.” The company accomplishes this mission by providing blog posts, career profiles, “AgGrad Live” (a Facebook Live show), daily snapchat stories, and a weekly podcast called the “Future of Agriculture.” All is supported by participating agribusinesses.

Source: AgGrad, which is solely responsible for the information provided and is wholly owned by the source. Informa Business Media and all its subsidiaries are not responsible for any of the content contained in this information asset.

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