Ben Conner has been promoted to vice president of policy at U.S. Wheat Associates. Conner joined USW in October 2014 as assistant director of policy and was named director of policy in 2016. Before joining USW, he worked in agriculture and trade policy as a legislative assistant to former Nebraska Sen. Mike Johanns. USW also promoted Joe Sowers to regional vice president for the Philippines and Korea, and Jeff Coey to regional vice president for China and Taiwan. Conner is based in Arlington, Va., Sowers in Manila, and Coey in Hong Kong. In addition, Matt Weimar, regional VP for South Asia, is adding responsibilities as senior adviser across all Asian countries.
Katie Zenk is leaving Land O’Lakes for the House Agriculture Committee where she will serve as professional staff for the minority. At Land O’Lakes, Zenk was manager of government relations. The dairy co-op also recently lost its senior director of government relations and industry affairs, Dana Brooks, who went to the Pet Food Institute as its president and CEO.
Cassandra Kuball has been promoted to senior director for trade and industry affairs at the Corn Refiners Association, which she joined in 2010. Earlier in her career, Kuball worked as an international trade assistant at USDA.
Dale Smith, a cattle producer from Amarillo, Texas, was elected president of CattleFax at the organization’s annual business meeting earlier this month in Phoenix. The new president elect is Don Quincey, a past president of the Florida Cattlemen’s Association. Re-elected as executive vice president was Randy Blach of Centennial, Colo. CattleFax’s 50th anniversary was celebrated at the meeting, which was held in conjunction with the 2018 Cattle Industry Convention
Alfonso Fanjul and J. Pepe Fanjul, founders of Florida Crystals Corporation, were inducted into the Florida Agricultural Hall of Fame last week in a ceremony in Tampa. The Hall noted that the brothers have been an integral part of Florida agriculture and their communities for nearly 60 years. It also recognized the success of their business endeavors, which the Hall said “have been vital to the betterment of agriculture in the Everglades Agricultural Area, where they farm, and across the state.”
Denver-based Ardent Mills hired Chris Meyerpeter as the flour-milling giant’s chief information officer. Meyerpeter joins Ardent Mills from Monsanto, where he held positions in communications and information technology.
The agricultural fraternity Alpha Gamma Rho has chosen Rex Martin as its next CEO. He joins AGR after most recently working as the vice president of global relations for States Strategies in Washington. Prior to that, he was the senior vice president of owner relations at Dairy Management Inc. and also held numerous government and industry affairs positions at Syngenta. Martin grew up on a swine operation in Arkansas and now lives in Missouri. He takes over for Phil Josephson, who is retiring after more than 40 years heading AGR.
