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Yara North America Appoints Sabine Schröder as President

Wed, 23 Jul 2025 19:46:07 GMT

Yara North America, the North American branch of the global crop nutrition company, announced the appointment of Sabine Schröder to president on July 23, overseeing the U.S. and Canada business.

Schröder, who has made significant contributions over 18 years with Yara, has served as interim president of North America since January 2025. Previously, she served as vice president of commercial excellence for crop nutrition in the Americas. She also brings extensive global leadership experience, having held the positions of commercial director for Europe’s NOxCare business and global sales excellence manager.

Along with this appointment, Yara North America also created two strategic commercial leadership roles. These roles were intended to strengthen customer support and regional focus across the U.S., according to Yara. They include:

George Simpson was selected as director of east U.S. sales and marketing. With more than 23 years at Yara, Simpson has most recently led the mid-Atlantic team and will continue supporting the region during the transition.
Dan Clarke was selected as director of West U.S. sales and marketing. With 19 years at Yara, Clarke began as a technical sales representative in Canada and most recently led the Central U.S. team, which he will continue supporting during the transition.

Additionally, Jeff Hartz joins Yara North America’s leadership team as vice president of strategic marketing. Most recently serving as director of GotoMarket Strategy and Enablement for Yara Americas, Hartz brings over two decades of expertise spanning seeds, crop protection, ag finance and food production.

How an Agri-Food Pioneer Transforms Soil Science into Real-World Solutions

Mon, 30 Jun 2025 18:52:39 GMT

Long before soil biology and microbial inoculants became paramount for produce growers and agtech companies alike, Linda Kinkel was digging — literally and figuratively — into the relationships between microbes and plants. As a young faculty member at the University of Minnesota nearly 35 years ago, she encountered a field where something unusual was happening: after 30 years of monoculture potato cropping, the soil had become virtually immune to disease.

“No grower would grow potatoes every year in the same field for 30 years,” Kinkel says, “but this was a breeding nursery for the fresh market potato industry. It was a great spot to have lots of disease pressure, but after 30 years, there was no disease. You could put pathogens in that soil and there was no infection.”

The discovery sparked what became a lifelong career of research into soil microbes and their capacity to build disease resistance, improve nutrient uptake and enhance overall crop productivity.

“I spent more years than I care to admit trying to find the microbe responsible,” she says. “What became clear was that there was no one microbe. It was partnerships, microbes interacting. And specifically, the way they interacted led to this amazing disease suppression, so — partners matter.”

That principle, partners matter, has guided her scientific journey ever since. It also played a key role in her being named a Top Agri-Food Pioneer by the World Food Prize Foundation in 2025.

From science to solutions

Kinkel co-founded Jord BioScience to make microbial products that are not only effective but also consistent, something the biologicals industry has long struggled with, Kinkel says.

“Growers need consistent tools,” she says. “That’s a huge opportunity, and one of the primary goals of Jord: to lift that consistency while seeking to outperform chemistries.”

Though microbial technologies like bio-stimulants, bio-fertilizers and biopesticides aren’t new, their relevance to fresh produce and specialty crops is rapidly growing. And according to Kinkel, they’re far from a one-size-fits-all tool.

For the fresh produce industry, the potential is great, Kinkel says.

“These aren’t crop-specific technologies,” she says. “There’s no reason they can’t be adaptable to any crop, any mode of application, any grower objective. If a grower needs disease control of a particular pathogen in leafy greens, or enhanced phosphorus uptake in apples, or stronger biostimulant action in potatoes, we can optimize inoculants to those needs.”

At Jord BioScience, Kinkel says, the company is already working with leafy greens, and she, personally, has long experience in potato and apple production.

“Earlier in my career, I worked on inoculation of apples to protect the fruit,” she adds.

Linda Kinkel, founder of Jord BioScience has been recognized as a 2025 Top Agri-Food Pioneer by the World Food Prize Foundation.

(Photo courtesy of Linda Kinkel)

Special solutions for specialty crops

What excites Kinkel most about the future of microbial solutions is their potential in specialty crop systems, where diversity in crops and growing environments demands flexibility.

“Specialty crops offer a special opportunity,” she says. “There’s so much diversity — so many crops, challenges and habitats. That’s where biology shines. Chemistry usually has one active ingredient applied broadly, but that’s not how biology works. Microbes allow for bespoke solutions that can be tailored not just to the crop, but to the specific farm or region.”

And thanks to advances in fermentation technology, application method flexibility and inoculant stability, many previous barriers to microbial adoption are falling away.

“Our microbes are agnostic to application method,” Kinkel says. “Whether it’s foliar, soil or something else, we can work with it. Biologicals are becoming much more adaptable and stable.”

Still, one major challenge remains, particularly for produce: field validation.

“You must have that field validation to provide the rigor and confidence growers need,” she says. “The diversity in specialty crops makes it harder to build large-scale testing platforms. But it’s our responsibility in the biologicals industry to make those investments, to prioritize the right needs and bring real value to growers.”

A lifelong fan of the “good guys”

Kinkel’s fascination with soil microbes began during a college course in plant pathology that focused almost entirely on pathogens.

“There was one lecture, just one, on beneficial microbes,” she says. “And I thought, what the heck? Why don’t we know more about the good guys? That question really defined my career.”

“The soil is filled with an entire universe of microbes that are doing big jobs for us every day, thanklessly,” Kinkel says. “My passion has always been to understand the who, how and why of these microbial interactions, and how we can manage them for better outcomes in food security and agriculture.”

Even after more than three decades in the field, her enthusiasm hasn’t waned.

“I’m not young anymore,” Kinkel laughs, “but I still see such potential in what we can do with soil microbiology. It’s a great tool.”

Top Agri-Food Pioneer recognition

As she prepares to be honored by the World Food Prize Foundation this year alongside a new cohort of innovators, Kinkel reflects on her journey and the mentors who inspired her, including Norman Borlaug, whom she met early in her career at the University of Minnesota.

“It’s humbling to be part of Dr. Borlaug’s broad footprint, however small my piece may be,” she says. “I’m especially proud that our collaborative team at Jord is being recognized. Microbes work best in collaboration — and so do we.”

The second annual Top Agri-Food Pioneers includes 39 changemakers from 27 countries forging a new future for food, according to a news release by the World Food Prize Foundation . The honorees, including Kinkel, will be formally recognized during the 2025 Norman E. Borlaug International Dialogue, taking place Oct. 21–23 in Des Moines, Iowa.

“The 2025 TAP list showcases the extraordinary diversity, talent and resolve of individuals working across borders and disciplines to build a more sustainable and just global food system,” says Mashal Husain, president of World Food Prize Foundation. “In a world facing urgent and interwoven crises, these honorees are fearless changemakers driving impact where it matters most — and offering real hope for the future.”

Ag Leaders Urge Labor Reform in Historic Hearing of Judiciary Committee

Thu, 22 Sep 2022 00:55:28 GMT

U.S. agriculture is suffering from a labor shortage that could increase production costs and consumer food prices if not addressed through visa reform to provide better access to the foreign-born workers on which it depends, explained National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) President Jen Sorenson before the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, “Immigrant Farmworkers are Essential to Feeding America” on Wednesday.

“During this pandemic we’ve all been forced to face the reality that our food supply chain depends, to a great extent, on the labor of immigrants. In every step of the food production process, from the moment a crop is planted to the moment our grocery bags are handed to us, there’s an immigrant worker who plays a critical role in feeding our families. Their work is essential and it’s never easy,” said Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL), chair of the Judiciary Committee.

Historic Testimony
For the first time in over 20 years, the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture testified before the Judiciary Committee on the importance of farmworkers in the U.S. Vilsack said there is an estimated 2.5 million farmworkers, half of whom are undocumented.

“Our immigration system does not work for them and, thus, does not work for our farmers. As Secretary of Agriculture, I have met farmers and ranchers across the country who worry that our immigration system is broken and continually feel the consequences. They struggle with the uncertainty of the labor force from harvest to harvest, worrying they will be unable to find farmworkers to keep them in business. This kind of instability jeopardizes our farmers’ ability to be competitive, puts in question the security of our food supply and has repercussions on our overall economy,” U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack said.

He described a discussion where the New York Farm Bureau president and a Vegetable Grower Association representative in New York shared they put out an advertisement for additional farmworkers and they didn’t get a single response.

“Not a single person responded to the ad for additional opportunities to work in this industry. It is clear this industry is dependent on immigrant workers. There are numerous examples of situations where requests were made for U.S. workers to work in these jobs and there was very little response if any,” Vilsack said.

This is a reoccurring story, Vilsack added. It’s replayed every day in packing plants, in fields and on farms.

“Immigrant labor comes in and does the difficult, challenging work that the rest of us are not interested in doing,” he said. “They do it well and they have the notion of being able to supply opportunity for a better life for their family. They care deeply for their family, sacrificing, working hard to make sure their families have a better life. We need to figure out something that allows them to have this connection with their family that the rest of us have every day.”

Stop Kicking the Can Down the Road
Vilsack applauded grower groups and unions for coming together and reaching a compromise and supporting the bipartisan Farm Workforce Modernization Act of 2021, which passed out of the U.S. House of Representatives on March 18 with a vote of 247-174.

“This legislation provides farmworkers – many of whom have lived in this country for years – an opportunity to earn citizenship,” Vilsack said. “With legal status and a path to citizenship, farmworkers would be able to earn higher wages and exercise their rights under our labor laws to demand better working conditions.”

Shay Myers, a vegetable grower in Oregon, testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee and strongly urged action on the Farm Workforce Modernization Act, which he said must include Green cards for those who keep America fed and consistent access to labor for farmers through H-2A visas.

“Let’s be honest with ourselves, the last 36 years of policies and political failures have led us here. Now is the time to act. It’s not ethical, it’s not economically viable and it’s not safe to kick this can down the road yet again,” Myers said. “I urge USCIS to process H-2A petitions much faster to meet the needs of farmers, and I urge Congress to reform the H-2A and H-2B visas to better serve our food supply chain.”

Year-Round Access to H-2A Visa Program
U.S. pork production is a year-round effort, requiring a hardworking and dedicated workforce on farms and in processing plants.

“Pork producers offer jobs with good pay and benefits, but most Americans do not live near hog farms or harvest facilities and rural populations continue to decline, causing the U.S. pork industry to be largely dependent on foreign-born workers,” Sorenson explained.

“Current visa programs designed for seasonal agriculture — such as the H-2A visa — fail to meet the workforce needs of U.S. pork producers and other year-round livestock farmers. Now more than ever, we need a dedicated, year-round workforce,” Sorenson told the committee.

If not addressed, she said the labor shortage “could lead to farms and packing plants shutting down, causing serious financial harm to the communities in which they operate. As a result, pork production would be constrained, leading to higher food prices for consumers and the United States becoming an unreliable trading partner for the many countries around the world that rely on our pork.”

NPPC is advocating for year-round access to the H-2A visa program without a cap. Legislation passed earlier this year in the U.S. House would offer a capped number of year-round visas.

“While NPPC believes the bill is a step in the right direction, a cap will force different sectors of livestock agriculture to compete against one another for the same limited number of year-round visas. In that scenario, no one wins and, ultimately, the consumer will be punished with reduced pork supplies and higher prices at the store,” Sorenson testified.

Read More:

Ag Labor Reform Hearing to Address H-2A Visa Program

One-Fifth of President’s Recent Executive Order Impacts Agriculture, Draws Mixed Reaction from Farm Groups

NPPC Calls for Labor Reform, Seeks Changes to H-2A Visa Program

New H2A Wage Rule Ensures More Stability for Farmers

Field Work: Small Farmers, Big Stakes

Fri, 07 May 2021 19:56:57 GMT

By Laurie Stern

John and Kara Boyd farm 1400 acres on five parcels in Southern Virginia. Their farm is diverse and regenerative: They raise corn, wheat, soybeans, swine, timber and vegetables including radish, peas, asparagus and sweet corn. Kara Boyd is a member of the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina . She grew up playing in the fields as her grandparents harvested produce.

“Being an Indigenous person here in North America, we’ve always been growing and producing our food,” she said.

John Boyd Jr. is a fourth-generation farmer. His father’s parents were straitlaced tobacco farmers along the James River and his mother’s parents were sharecroppers who sold bootleg whiskey to make ends meet. Boyd said he learned to farm from their different styles, and he also learned how to read people.

“I have a good take, based on my upbringing, of who’s telling the truth and who’s shucking and jiving,” Boyd said.

It’s a skill that has served him well. When he turned 18 in 1983, he bought his own farm from another Black farmer. He said he thought the civil rights movement had made things more equal, but he learned quickly that he was wrong. The local Farmers Home Administration agent would see Black farmers only at 9 a.m. one day a week. Everyone called them “Black Wednesdays.”

The farmers Boyd had looked up to were forced to wait their turn all day in crowded hallways where they compared notes about their treatment: being called “boy,” getting turned down for programs. At first, Boyd thought they were exaggerating. Then he showed up for his own first meeting. Boyd realized the civil rights movement had skipped Black farmers. The agent tore up his application, spat tobacco juice on his shirt.

“Just all sorts of stuff you wouldn’t think would come from someone who worked for the government,” Boyd said.

That experience and others that followed turned Boyd from farmer to farm advocate. He began collecting stories and statistics. He lodged discrimination complaints with local and national civil rights groups, founded the National Black Farmers Association , led marches, and in 1997 was a lead plaintiff in Pigford v. Glickman . That turned out to be the largest class action settlement the U.S. government has ever had to make.

John Boyd Jr. was at the front of the line. “I was able to get my land out of federal inventory, a little piece of happy change and some sort of apology,” he said.

A 1997 governmental investigation called USDA “a stubborn bureaucracy” that had used discriminatory loan practices to “force minority and socially disadvantaged farmers off their land.”^.

Protests and litigation continued because Black farmers had not been notified they were eligible for compensation. Pigford II was finally settled in 2010.

John Boyd Jr. is still president of the NBFA today. The NBFA and its allies in Congress are largely responsible for the $5 billion debt relief for farmers of color in the 2021 American Recovery Plan. In a recent editorial , Boyd said that much more needs to happen.

“The racism that was baked into subsidy programs for decades is now a feature, not a bug,” he wrote.

Meanwhile, he and Kara have a farm to run. Covid hurt. They couldn’t sell their livestock as they’d planned. The long harsh winter meant they were late harvesting and late planting.

“We lost soybeans because we weren’t able to get them harvested,” Kara Boyd said. But she noted that as a great source of nitrogen “they’ll just go back into the soil and feed Mother Earth.”

The Boyds would like to do regenerative agriculture demonstrations at their farm, and spread the word about how no-till and cover crop practices are paying off. They’d like to put in perimeter fencing to integrate livestock with row crops. They’d like to see more farmers of color own their land, and they’re working hard to make all that happen.