The Senate Ag Committee's ranking member, John Boozman of Arkansas, named Brad Weddelman as chief economist. Weddelman was chief economist at Combest Sell & Associates for seven years and a teaching and research assistant at the Texas A&M Agricultural and Food Policy Center. Weddelman replaces John Newton, who left in September to lead a team of economists and analysts at Terrain, which provides analytic services to four Farm Credit System lenders.
The National Grain and Feed Association hired Berit Linnehan Foss as vice president of feed and sustainability effective Dec. 18. She will lead efforts in feed policy, regulatory advocacy, industry best practices and sustainability. She was previously director of sustainability at POET. Foss will succeed Dave Fairfield, who is retiring Dec. 31 after 23 years with the association.
Kyle McCalla joined Meristem as a sales representative and dealer coach. He will be based in Archbold, Ohio, covering a territory in Ohio and Michigan.
FTI Consulting hired Polly Ruhland to expand the firm’s food, agriculture and beverage practice. Ruhland will advise clients on supply chain resilience, durability and innovation, efficiency and sustainability in a senior managing director position. She has been CEO of the United Soybean Board and Cattlemen’s Beef Promotion & Research Board.
Dee Weeda, who served several agribusiness firms at marketing and communications agencies broadhead and Meyocks & Priebe, launched her own company, Dee Weeda Communications.
The Biotechnology Innovation Organization hired Sarah Alspach as executive vice president and chief communications officer. She had led external affairs for bluebird bio, a Somerville, Mass., biotech firm that develops gene therapies for human disease.
Aaron Wetzen, John DeereThe National FFA Foundation announced new members on the 2025 Sponsors’ Board. Aaron Wetzen, vice president of production and precision ag production systems at John Deere, was named chair. Nine board members were selected for three year terms: Adam Backer, vice president and regional marketing manager for NAU Country; Carrie Ballew, chief procurement officer at Domino’s; Rebecca Camara, vice president of human resources for Valent U.S.A. LLC; Jamie Eichorn, head of crop sales North America at Syngenta; Roland Fumasi, executive vice president and North American regional head of RaboResearch Food and Agribusiness at Rabo AgriFinance; Shannon Kellner, vice president of livestock for Merk Animal Health; Raquel Koehler, CEO and president of Rural Media Group; Adam Ross, vice president of talent management and vice president of dealer and customer support North America at Bunge; and Danielle Waterworth, ag/global service and maintenance development for CNH. Aaron Weber is departing from his position as a senior advisor for Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D., on Friday. He will join the office of newly-elected North Dakota Gov. Kelly Armstrong as policy director.
Rosy Brummette Weber will depart from the office of Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo., at the end of the month. She has worked as his agriculture and natural resources policy advisor since 2022.
USDA appointed seven members, seven alternates and two advisors to three-year terms on the Cotton Board. New members are: Caroline Collins Barber, Charlotte, North Carolina; Kelly Gupta, Houston; and Doyle Schniers, San Angelo, Texas. The full list of appointments.
Darin Miller is the new chief of staff for Wyoming Republican Sen. Cynthia Lummis. He was previously communications director for Texas Sen. Ted Cruz.
Virginia beef cattle and hay producer Scott Sink was elected president of the Virginia Farm Bureau Federation. He has been vice president since 2012 and chairs the VFBF National Affairs Committee. Sink and his wife Mendy run a market selling locally grown produce.
USDA appointed new members to the National Mango Board to terms starting Jan. 1. Those from Florida are importer Albert Perez from Miami, importer Luis Orrantia from Doral and first handler Luis Gabriel Cintron from Miami. Producer Umi Martin from Hawaii also joined.
The Nebraska Soybean Board elected officers at its annual board meeting. Selected for one-year terms were Mark Caspers as chairman, Greg Anderson as vice chairman, Mike Tomes as secretary and Blake Johnson as treasurer.
USDA appointed 36 members to the Cattlemen’s Beef Promotion and Research Board beginning in February 2025. They include Angelina Kelleghan of Loma, Colorado; Janet Gent Parker of Seminary, Mississippi; Leanne Robison of Stillwater, Oklahoma, and Gwen Geis of Gillette, Wyoming; among others. All new Cattlemen’s Beef Promotion and Research Board appointees.
USDA appointed six members to the Agricultural Marketing Service Grain Inspection Advisory Committee for three-year terms beginning in April 2025. They are Gang Guo, senior director of grain research and quality at Ardent Mills; Christopher Frederking, director of operations and safety at Zen-Noh Grain Corp.; Charles Bird, senior director of government affairs at Neogen Corp.; Tristan Bradford, director of the Montana Grain Inspection Service State Grain Laboratory; Lyndsey Erb, director of industry affairs at the U.S Soybean Export Council; and Barbara Grove, quality systems manager and food safety director at Central Valley Ag.
The National Association of Manufacturers named Mallory Richardson director of sustainability and environmental policy. She was manager of government affairs at Chemours Co.
NSB FY25 executive committee (from left): Mike Tomes, secretary, Mark Caspers, chairman, Greg Anderson, vice chairman) and Blake Johnson, treasurer USDA appointed 11 members and nine alternates to the American Egg Board beginning in March 2025. They include Jessica Hanslik of Ridgeland, Mississippi; Jeffrey Cutler of Fort Recovery, Ohio, and Clint Hickman of Litchfield Park, Arizona. The full list of American Egg Board appointees.
Brandon Mooney left his post as deputy chief counsel for the House Energy and Commerce Republicans to become vice president at energy and environmental consulting firm, CO2EFFICIENT.
USDA appointed four members to the American Lamb Board for three-year terms beginning in January 2025. They are Jimmy Parker of Vinemont, Alabama; David Fisher of Sonora, Texas; Stephen J. Schreier of Tracy, Minnesota; and Andrew Allman of Gill, Colorado.
USDA named three members to three-year terms on the Popcorn Board beginning Jan. 1. They are Seth Kunnemann, Imperial, Nebraska; Cindy Moyer, Mount Joy, Pennsylvania, and Eric J. Sieg, Ramsey, Indiana.
Eli Cain is now senior policy manager at the Carbon Removal Alliance. He previously worked for the Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory.
Competitive Enterprise Institute founder Fred Smith died Nov. 23. in Washington. He was 83. Smith was president of the libertarian think tank, which challenged environmental and climate-related regulations, for nearly three decades. CEI senior economist Ryan Young wrote after his passing that Smith “was gregarious, whip-smart, stubbornly principled, and he was fun.”
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