Ken Seitz has been tapped as the new president and CEO of Nutrien. He will also join Nutrien’s board of directors. Seitz has been serving as the interim CEO since January and brings 25 years of eKen Seitz .jpegKen Seitz, Nutrienxperience in global management. Before being asked to step in as interim CEO in January, Seitz was Nutrien’s executive vice president and CEO of potash at Nutrien Limited. 

Valent U.S.A. has selected Dave Poling as vice president of marketing. He previously worked for BASF as manager of regional marketing at BASF’s Research Triangle Park, North Carolina. While with BASF, he held many positions including global segment team lead responsible for Europe, Asia, North and South America, and head of global marketing based in Limburgerhof, Germany.

Brenton Field is now the vice president of operations for Nabaco. He previously served as the director of technical sales. He brings over 30 years of experience in the produce industry, previously working for Chiquita and AgroFresh.

Kristin Daley has been added to Tanimura & Antle’s board of directors, filling the seat vacated by retiring director William Gisvold. Daley also serves on the board of Blue Diamond Growers, McCain Foods Group Inc., McCain Foods Ltd. and Hazel Technologies Inc. Daley runs her own strategy consulting business called KD Consulting. She also works part-time as vice president of corporate development for Musco Family Olive Co.

Marty Tatman has been promoted to senior director of member engagement at the American Farm Bureau Federation. He was previously director of member engagement and before that, he worked for the National FFA Organization as an education specialist.

Lillie Zeng is leaving the Senate Agriculture Committee where she served as Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow’s, D-Mich., press secretary. Zeng is not announcing her next move at this time. Patrick Delaney will be the media point of contact for Chairwoman Stabenow. 

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DeShawn BlandiDeShawn Blanding.jpegDeShawn Blanding, Senate Ag Committeeng has returned to the majority staff on the Senate Agriculture Committee as a legislative assistant covering the portfolio for commodity exchanges, energy, credit, and rural policy. He most recently worked for the Rural Coalition as a policy and strategy specialist. Before that, he was a staff assistant on the Ag Committee.

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Jan Ernst de Groot has been appointed to the newly created role of chief sustainability officer for food retail company Ahold Delhaize. He previously was the chief legal officer. 

Caroline Snell has been brought on to Michael Torrey Associates as a policy coordinator. Snell, who previously worked as an intern for MTA, is a Florida native and earned a bachelor's degree in food and resource economics from the University of Florida. She is currently pursuing a master’s degree in public policy at American University.


Kerry Cebul has been tapped as the new chief executive officer of Ostara, a fertilizer and nutrient management company. He comes to Ostara from Grosvenor Food and AgTech, where he supported the firm’s expansion into the U.S. He was also a founding member of a sustainable farmland investment and management firm, SLM Partners.

CAROLINE SNELL.jpgCaroline Snell, Michael Torrey Associates The Department of Agriculture has appointed 14 members to serve on the Plant Variety Protection Board. The newly appointed members will serve two-year terms. Serving as the farmer representative is Brent Robertson of Nebraska. Appointed as a private or industry representative are: Audrey Charles, Illinois; Barry Nelson, Iowa; Heidi Nebel, Iowa; Paul Nelson, Missouri; Eloy Corona, North Carolina; Patricia Olosky, Pennsylvania; and Michelle Bos, Washington. Serving as a public or government representative will be: Jenny Koebernick, Alabama; Andrae McMillian, Alabama; Felicia Jefferson, Georgia; Peggy Ozias-Akins, Georgia; Shubo Zhou, Maryland; and Albert Tsui, New York.

A leader in the produce industry, Hank Giclas has passed away. Giclas worked for the Western Growers for three decades until he retired as the senior vice president of strategic planning, science and technology in 2020. “Our industry is immeasurably better for Hank’s vision and leadership. Few in our industry labored as long and hard as Hank to produce scientifically valid food safety guidance,” said Dave Puglia, Western Growers president and CEO. 

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