The Scoop's 40 Under 40 for 2023

These 40 individuals age 40 or younger have been recognized as leaders in the ag retail industry. They represent a large variety of businesses across the country and assume a wide range of day-to-day roles as trusted advisers to farmers.

The 40 Under 40 program is sponsored by Nufarm.

Mitch Barnett, 25
Owner-Operator of Nezperce Ag in Nezperce, Idaho

Mitch is the second generation at Nezperce Ag - a family owned ag retail business. He is responsible for day to day operations, including chemical application, fertilizer blending, fertilizer application and field burning. Mitch makes his customers a priority  and runs a tight ship while being extremely attentive to detail.

Ross Bender, 36
Director of New Product Development
Mosaic
Tampa, Florida

Ross and his team oversee Mosaic’s global Crop Nutrition R&D around new technologies and provide the resources necessary to bring them to market. He uses his education, research and farm experience to interactively share cutting-edge plant nutrition knowledge across hundreds of diverse retailer and producer audiences and has the unique ability to tailor his delivery to the audience he is working with.

Cory Broad, 32
Agronomic Sales Manager AvidWater
Fresno, California

Cory oversees the value-added business units for the largest irrigation retailer/dealer in the state of California with a full-state service area and 16 retail locations. He is leading the next generation of talent into a changing market while also taking traditional agronomic approaches to new systems of management to help bridge the gap between specialty and field crops as well as irrigated vs. non-irrigated agriculture.

Morgan Brock, 39
Manager of Talent Acquisition 
Southern States Cooperative Inc.
Richmond, Virginia

Morgan consistently demonstrates an ability to lead and successfully manage numerous HR disciplines. She has earned the trust and respect of her team and colleagues within her organization and has been instrumental in succession planning, career pathing and employee development, growth and success.

Kolt Brucker, 26
Grower Service Rep. 
BCS LLC
Arrowsmith, Illinois

Kolt began working for BCS in high school as a soil sampler and has since worked on the operations team and as a grower service representative. He manages a large numbers of key growers and builds relationships with the growers of the future - listening to what each of them needs individually.

Brian Buck, 37
Retail Seller Experience Manager 
WinField United
Red Wing, Minnesota

Brian is dedicated to empowering retail sellers with the necessary information and tools to drive success and efficiency when selling their products and services. His proven sales implementation process unlocks the power of WinField United’s programs to support growers in better managing risk while also driving new product adoption.

Cole Callaway, 29
Agronomy Specialist 
Co-Alliance Cooperative Inc.
Reynolds, Indiana

Cole's hard work and dedication have helped him create strong relationships with customers in the surrounding area while gaining new customers. He always stays up to date on the latest technology and works with the Co-Alliance YieldPRO team to bring new concepts to the farmgate.

Rachael Dahlman, 34
Sales Development Manager
WinField United
Dassel, Minnesota

Rachael works with retailers and farmers to produce creative solutions for their various businesses. She has taken it upon herself to mentor and support younger women embarking on their careers in agriculture, actively contributing to diversifying and strengthening the sector for the future.

Travis Fuller, 37
Customer Success Manager AgWorks LLC
Davenport, Iowa

Travis acts as the ag retail customers' liaison and advocate for his organization. He consistently keeps a pulse on what is happening in ag retail and what his organization can do to best serve their customers. He is a road warrior and uses this time to learn about customers' businesses and challenges so he can use that understanding to move the industry forward.

Evan Fust, 37
General Manager 
CHS High Plains/CHS Quinter/CHS United Plains
Holyoke, Colorado

Evan has the ability to manage large projects that involves several people. He is meticulous yet relays his message and demands eloquently. Evan was brought in to manage his CHS division because of his ability to handle complex situations and has proven to be the right person to do so.

John Gibson, 37
Seed & Crop Protection Products Director 
Ceres Solutions
Crawfordsville, Indiana

John manages market strategies as well as procurement, pricing and inventory management. He has been an effective leader for his business units and helped navigate the supply and market challenges of the last few years. He brings exciting new ideas and strategies that have helped grow volume and profitability.

Will Griffith, 28
Technical Support Team Lead Ever.Ag
Lewisville, Texas

Will's dedication to helping companies progress forward in technology is seemingly endless. He has a key role in helping companies transit from one platform to another and understands change is hard and is willing to go that extra mile to help someone who is overwhelmed with the progressive changes in today's technology.

Kyle Gustafson, 36
Crop Protection Product Manager 
WinField United
Volga, South Dakota

Kyle is responsible for providing technical assistance, agronomy training and support to the northern plains of South Dakota, North Dakota, Montana, the Pacific Northwest and Coastal West geographies. What sets him apart is his unwavering commitment to agronomic excellence and his primary goal of assisting retailers and sales staff in his region to make sound, agronomically grounded product recommendations. 

Lena Head, 32
Director of Partnership Management 
AgVend
Decatur, Illinois

Lena leads a team of partnership managers that support AgVend’s 65+ partner retailers through the launch of their digital enablement platform. She  is a passionate leader who is dedicated to advancing agriculture and driving innovation. 

Tim Hushon, 32
Sustainability and Technology Director 
The Mill
White Hall, Maryland

Tim has been a key contributor to reducing customers' dependence on nitrogen. He runs the company's nitrogen model and is very involved with 4R practices. He is well respected at local universities and in the industry for his detailed experience with nitrogen model and variable rate application of fertilizer. He is a true leader and forges ahead into places that no other ag retailer in the area thinks of trying. 

Jake Joraanstad, 33
CEO 
Bushel
Fargo, North Dakota

Under Jake's leadership, Bushel has grown to over 45% of grain origination in the U.S. and Canada using its platform. Through his vision and leadership, Bushel expanded to not only build the software to make information more accessible, but also allows farmers to take action. He is a strong advocate for how technology can improve the agricultural supply chain

Jeff Kloucek, 38
Crop Consultant
Nutrien Ag Solutions
Fordyce, Nebraska

Jeff is part of a group of independent crop consultants that was acquired by Nutrien in 2019. He is very involved with his community and always willing to help out. Along with being a crop consultant, he farms on the side with his cousin and another family member.

Brianna Koompin, 37
Procurement Manager Bingham Ag Services
American Falls, Idaho

Brianna performs duties of procuring all chemical and seed for the company locations and also works on specialty projects. She helps focus on grower event planning, coordinating with school programs and events, 4-H and any other place she feels needed to keep the company functioning.

Raj Madam, 39
Director of Innovation and Sales
Chamberlin Ag
Wenatchee, Washington

Raj is extremely knowledgeable and uses his industry experience to catapult Chamberlin Ag forward into the next generation of ag retail. His role helps his company remain competitive in the marketplace and aids customers in gaining access to the best available products and services.

Jared Martin, 39
Agronomy Division Controller
Co-Alliance Cooperative
Indianapolis, Indiana

Jared began his co-op career as an intern and worked his way up to the top accounting position with Harvestland. He was instrumental in the Harvestland/Co-Alliance merger and his efforts with the integration continue to be critical to the company's success.

Adam McCabe, 39
Agronomy Manager 
Morrow County Grain Growers
Ione, Oregon

Adam has worked with Morrow County Grain Growers for 15 years. He began in operations and moved up through the organization to a leadership role as agronomy manager. He stays busy leading a sales operation team and maintaining a customer base while also managing his own family farm.

Kyle Meece, 39
Agronomy Manager 
United Prairie LLC
Tolono, Illinois

Kyle began as a custom applicator right out of college, worked into an agronomy sales role and became one of United Prairie’s top sales agronomists. He then had the opportunity to grow into the lead agronomy manager a few years ago. He is an innovator who lives and breathes agriculture and ag retail.

Tyler Mitchell, 29
Agronomy Account Manager River Valley Cooperative
Davenport, Iowa

Tyler's positive attitude and commitment to success led to him being considered one of the key members of the company's sales team and has earned him the respect of his customers and coworkers. He continually exceeds his sales goals and has used technology to be more effective and efficient with his customers.

Ethan Olson, 30
Sales Consultant
T H Agri-Chemicals Inc.
Plainfield, Wisconsin

Ethan works in procurement, pricing, fertilizer sales and coordination of purchasing and deliveries. When an extra hand is needed, he steps up to be a delivery driver and helps out with custom application. He is not afraid or above doing anything that needs to be done.

Morgan Parks, 27
Insights & Analytics Specialist
Simplot Grower Solutions
Boise, Idaho

Throughout Morgan's tenure in ag retail, she has consistently championed the transformative potential of data and analytics. She derives satisfaction from harnessing historical data to illuminate the potential and opportunities that lie before the teams in her company. 

Ashley Poole, 33
Regional Operations Manager Simplot Grower Solutions
Colquitt, Georgia

Ashley manages the operations for two markets, which includes 10 retail locations in four states and 23 employees. She was critical in helping employees accept and thrive in a culture of change and has also grown her region's sales by 25%.  She sets an example for other by promoting operational excellence and best business practices. 

Eric Preston, 39
SmartFarm Business Manager
Simplot Grower Solutions
Columbus, Kansas

Eric has a passion for investing in team members and creating value for growers. He has a record of hiring agronomists and teaching them precision agronomy to deliver value for grower customers. Many of those team members are now leaders in the ag retail industry.

Tyson Privett, 36
Crop Advisor
Simplot Grower Solutions
Leachville, Arkansas

Tyson has established himself as a highly regarded resource that both seasoned professionals and newcomers in the Mid-South region turn to for leadership and guidance. Coupled with his acute business acumen and comprehensive understanding of the local farming landscape, he has achieved remarkable success as a crop advisor at Simplot within a brief span of five years.

Carl Sackreiter, 40
Feed Nutritionist 
Ag Partners Cooperative
Goodhue, Minnesota

Carl is an experienced nutritionist with a demonstrated history of working in the livestock industry. He is passionate about the ag industry and loves being around people and working with many different operations. In addition, he grows a number of different crops with his family on their farm.

Josh Schaver, 37
COO
Logan Agri-Service Inc.
Griggsville, Illinois

During his tenure, Josh has provided vision and leadership for expansion at his company - growing from a single location to four facilities. He has effectively implemented a new worker culture within the company which has not only aided employee retention but has also attracted new workers to the company.

Rebecca Schubert, 25
Irrigation Water Management Specialist
Centra Sota Cooperative
Little Falls, Minnesota

Rebecca helps producers around the state of Minnesota see the value in variable rate irrigation systems.  She has proven that a cooperative's ability to provide environmental services in water management can not only be profitable, but a win-win for all parties involved.

Jacob Schwab, 33
Sales Manager
Greenstone Systems
Alpharetta, Georgia

Jacob actively forms and fosters long-term partnerships with ag retailers and clients. He is committed to provide powerful solutions to their opportunities, for them to adopt for continuous growth and success. His passion for the ag industry is genuine and his amicable personality is contagious.

Morgan Seger, 36
Digital Marketing Consultant 
Ceres Solutions and Morgan Seger Consulting
Ansonia, Ohio

Since Morgan joined the Ceres Solutions team, she increased the company's social media following by 63%,  enabled an outstanding average monthly engagement rate of 5% across platforms and helped launch the Field Points podcast that has amassed 4,000 listens since its launch in October of 2022. Her endless creativity makes her a powerhouse in crafting compelling content that fosters engagement and enjoyment.

Chris Staudt, 27
Sales Agronomist 
Gold Eagle Cooperative
Kanawha, Iowa

Chris is involved in the day-to-day needs and demands of his current growers as the local retail expert. He is a trusted advisor in his community of Kanawha and also with in his team at Gold Eagle Co-op.  He is knowledgeable, likeable and always willing to go above and behind for his growers and coworkers.

Tyler Steinkamp, 33
Crop Protection Product Manager
WinField United
Marion, Iowa

Tyler has constantly searched for new ways to expand and improve communication and empower others with the best agronomic training and recommendations. He has become a valued mentor in the ag community, using the platforms to not only share his expertise but to also train others, playing a crucial role in helping farmers increase yields and enhance operational efficiency on the farm.

Lauren Taylor, 29
Digital Marketing Specialist 
Co-Alliance Cooperative 
Indianapolis, Indiana

Lauren has played a pivotal role in spearheading the implementation of the company's new digital enablement platform. Her efforts in building the company's brand online not only reinforce the culture for team members but also enhance the experience for their valued customers.

Haylee VanScoy, 27
Director of Grain Purchasing & Risk Management
Heritage Cooperative
Delaware, Ohio

Haylee's passion for people has now translated into creating high performing teams through the cultivation of clarity, collaboration, and alignment. She is a strong advocate for progress in her organization and drives digital initiatives effectively, all while stopping to be considerate of what support she can provide to make change more feasible for everyone involved. 

John Vink, 38
Senior Product Manager AgVend
St. Louis, Missouri

John works with multitude of companies to unite the industry in the vision of digitally connected supply chain. He builds relationships across the industry and identifies opportunities to build products and platforms that deliver value to all parties involved. 

Kari Wenker, 34
Digital Team Lead 
CHS
Inver Grove Heights, Minnesota

Kari is a top-notch digital strategist with exceptional skills not only in digital strategy but also project management, coupled with her collaborative approach. She excels in leading and executing all manner of projects, meeting deadlines, and fostering a positive work environment.

Darren Wiatt, 33
Agronomy Specialist Co-Alliance Cooperative
Russellville, Indiana

Darren works hard to develop strong relationships with his customers while providing agronomical insight that helps drive sales and services to cover all their acres. His growers often comment how he is their “go to guy” on every major agronomic decision on their farm. Not only is he committed to helping growers in his hometown, but he is also dedicated to serving his neighbors.