Industry News: Chuck Conner To Retire, FieldWatch Adds New State, Simplot Names New Ag Biz Lead

Tue, 12 Nov 2024 21:16:08 GMT

Chuck Conner Retires From The National Council of Farmer Cooperatives
Charles F. “Chuck” Conner will retire from his position as president and CEO of The National Council of Farmer Cooperatives (NCFC) at the end of 2024.

During his tenure, Conner oversaw NCFC’s efforts to promote and protect the interests of America’s farmer-owned cooperatives. He has provided the organization’s strategic vision and enhanced its value for its members.

Conner has also advocated for agriculture at the highest level of government, working to influence policy and provide a voice for NCFC members.

Simplot Names New Agribusiness President
G. Rey Reinhardt will serve as Simplot’s new Agribusiness president following the retirement of Doug Stone.

“We are excited to announce G. Rey as the new head of Simplot AgriBusiness,” Simplot president and CEO Garrett Lofto said. “His extensive industry experience, familiarity with the business, exceptional leadership skills, and strategic mindset will be vital to the company as we drive growth and work endlessly to exceed the expectations of our customers.”

Reinhardt has spent six years with Simplot, most recently serving as vice president of business development and optimization for Simplot AgriBusiness.

“I’m honored and grateful for this opportunity and will dedicate myself to serving our customers, employees, and the company,” Reinhardt said. “Collectively, Simplot AgriBusiness will strive to fulfil our vision by operating as a customer-centric organization, rooted in phosphate expertise, while utilizing technology and innovation to help feed the world.”

Stone retires after eight years and will stay on to help in Reinhardt’s transition through the end of this year.

“We thank Doug for his leadership, dedication, and service to the Company and wish him a happy retirement,” Lofto said. “G. Rey will step in with the experience and skills to help ensure a smooth transition and keep the positive momentum Doug and the company have established.”

FieldWatch Welcomes Washington as 26th State Member
The State of Washington has joined FieldWatch - enabling the state’s beekeepers and crop producers to identify and map the locations of apiaries and crop fields that pesticide applicators should avoid.

“The goal is to get beekeepers and crop producers registered through FieldWatch so applicators can access accurate information before spraying,” said Bob Walters, president and CEO of FieldWatch. “This model has been proven to build stewardship and communication in agriculture.”

Washington joins 25 other states in membership. Its decision was especially driven by the needs of crop producers and beekeepers who wanted to register the locations of their apiaries and crops.

“This partnership gives our farmers another tool in the toolbox as we work together to ensure the continued viability of Washington agriculture through safe, effective and efficient pesticide usage,” says Derek Sandison, Washington State Department of Agriculture director.

Teamwork Helps Fertilizer Facility Rise From the Ashes

Tue, 13 Aug 2024 20:48:54 GMT

After a devastating fire on Oct. 23, 2022, the team at Wilbur-Ellis rallied around its Moses Lake, Washington colleagues and customers.

“It was like watching my home away from home burn—it was heartbreaking,” says Anita Paulsson, distribution manager at the facility. “But we were able to not miss a beat. We kept going.”

The 19,000-ton fertilizer warehouse was a total loss.

The six-person on-site team was then surrounded by its larger geographic team to continue to serve farmer customers despite the fire.

“We found out how much of Wilbur-Ellis is about people and not buildings,” Paulsson says. “Resilience was the key word for us in 2023.”

For sixteen months—across two growing seasons for the area’s row crops, specialty crops and orchards–the larger team kept operations going in all of the ways they could and were able to patchwork together uninterrupted services. The team brought in rail cars and transloaded from rail to truck over 15,000 tons. The blending needs were supported by two area branches in Pasco and Quincy.

In March 2024 a brand-new structure was complete and replaced the company’s 19,000-ton facility with a new warehouse of the same storage capacity.

“With the same footprint we were able to gain increased efficiency and speed in blending with a larger weigh hopper for micronutrients and a larger mixer,” Paulsson says.

She credits key vendors in Stueve Construction, Easy Automation, and Sackett-Waconia in rebuilding the site.

“It was an army of partners,” she says. “And the entire project highlighted how we came together.”