Ralco Continues in Family Leadership Tradition

Jamie JohansenAgribusiness, Nutrition

KnochenmusBrian copyBrian Knochenmus has been appointed president of Ralco, a leading global provider of livestock nutrition, animal health products and crop enhancement product. Brian served as vice president of Ralco for more than a decade prior to succeeding his father, Jon Knochenmus, as president. Brian is the third generation to lead the family-owned business.

“I am truly humbled to step into this leadership role at Ralco. My grandfather started this company out of his garage, and over the years Ralco has enjoyed significant growth. We are going to continue that trend by providing the agriculture and aquaculture industries with proprietary natural technologies that help create safe and abundant food,” Brian said. “It is our people that really make the difference. Customers and consumers trust us because our actions and decisions positively impact everyone we contact. That is the culture I will continue to foster at Ralco.”

Brian said he will advance the spirit of innovation instilled in him by his father. Ralco was founded on a Microbial Catalyst® technology that has been patented and can be found in products around the world. In the 1990s Ralco introduced Birthright™ baby pig milk replacer when few believed in the concept. In the 2000s Ralco launched Regano® to lead the industry in essential oil technology. Expanded technical knowledge and expertise led to EnMax® swine nutrition, and Ralco entered the agronomy market with the introduction of Generate®. Most recently Ralco acquired global patents for an innovative approach to land-based shrimp production.

“We have a great history of innovation at Ralco. We do things differently and the challenges we face today require us to think differently. Our unique approach is engrained in who we are and it provides our customers with profitable and safe products and services,” Brian said. “I believe in practical technologies that work for producers and are effective in real-world application.”

Ralco provides technologies that promote the performance of millions of poultry, livestock, shrimp and crop production acres around world. However, Brian said customer and consumer safety has always been and will remain at the forefront of decision making at Ralco.