The Iowa Egg Council and Iowa Poultry Association have hired Randy Olson as executive director. Olson will navigate the state’s poultry and egg industry through a changing environment as it adjusts to new food safety standards and other requirements. “In a national search, Randy Olson rose to the top with his strong background in agriculture and vast array of experiences … Read More
Pork Board Names Chris Hodges as CEO
Chris Hodges, a pork industry leader with substantial senior management experience in agriculture, will join the National Pork Board as its new chief executive officer on Feb. 16. Currently based in Kansas City, Hodges is senior vice president – business development of Smithfield Farmland. “When I first joined what was then Farmland Industries as a grain division manager, I joined … Read More
Meet R&D LifeSciences' New Vice President
R&D LifeSciences is pleased to announce Mike DuBois has been promoted to the position of Vice President as of January 1, 2015. DuBois has over 30 years of experience in sales and management in the agriculture industry. David Zehendner, President & CEO of R&D LifeSciences said, “Mike is an extremely hard worker with a vast web of contacts within the … Read More
Alliance Names New Communications Director
Animal Agriculture Alliance President and CEO Kay Johnson Smith announced the appointment of Hannah Thompson as the Alliance’s new Director of Communications. Prior to joining the Alliance, Thompson held a position in marketing with Farm Credit Mid-America in Louisville, Kentucky. Previously, she worked as a Staff Writer and Production Assistant for Ohio’s Country Journal and Ohio Ag Net. “Hannah brings … Read More
Advanced Animal Diagnostics Expands Team
Advanced Animal Diagnostics (AAD) adds Rick Rectenwald to its team as manufacturing operations/customer service manager and Darlene Duarte as sales representative for California and Arizona. Rectenwald will help AAD maintain the highest level of quality and customer satisfaction as the company delivers diagnostic solutions to livestock producers across North America. Drawing on deep operations experience, he will administer systems to … Read More
Idaho Dairy Group Hires Business Director
Brenden Fitzgerald joins the Idaho Dairy Products Commission and the United Dairymen of Idaho as senior director of business development and processor relations. In his role, Fitzgerald will build and manage relationships with dairy processors, as well as work with retail and restaurant partners on a local and national level. “Brenden’s experience in developing sales strategies, working with diverse clients … Read More
American Gelbvieh Association Welcomes New Staff
The American Gelbvieh Association (AGA) is pleased to announce the hiring of Rebecca Mettler of Sarcoxie, Missouri, as editorial content coordinator and Megan Slater of Longmont, Colorado as public relations coordinator. Prior to joining the AGA team, Mettler was a freelance writer for national and regional agricultural publications. Experienced in beef industry association work, Mettler served as DNA coordinator for … Read More
Allflex Acquires SCR Engineers
Allflex announced its acquisition of SCR Engineers Ltd., a company headquartered in Netanya, Israel, that is known throughout the world for cutting-edge livestock-monitoring and intelligent milking solutions. SCR will operate independently, as part of the Allflex Group, helping producers use equipment and predictive analytics to improve productivity. Company leaders view the acquisition as an important step to facilitate the adoption … Read More
Allflex Announces Creation of New Marketing Position
Allflex USA Inc., the global leader in animal identification and traceability systems, has announced the promotion of Scott Holt to the newly created position of North American marketing manager. Scott is transitioning into his new position from his current role as associate national sales manager, which he assumed in 2010 after 10 years as the northwestern regional sales manager for … Read More
Meredith Joins NMPF
In another development involving the National Dairy FARM program, Emily Metz Meredith, vice president of communications and membership for the Animal Agriculture Alliance, will join NMPF next month as vice president of animal care. She replaces Betsy Flores, who left in mid-October for a position at the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Meredith, a lawyer, will have primary responsibility for the … Read More