Angela Anderson currently leads the company’s team in advancing progress on Starbucks’ planet positive aspiration for a sustainable dairy supply. She supports the work of the team, aiming to accelerate, demonstrate and inspire meaningful changes in environment, farmer and worker welfare, and animal welfare with dairy farms and suppliers. Prior to Starbucks, Angela was vice president of customer outreach with the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy, serving as the liaison to retail, foodservice and CPG brands for U.S. dairy’s social responsibility and regenerative agriculture initiatives, striving to develop long-term, positive relationships that create impactful social and environmental change. Before her role in the dairy industry, Angela was at the National Pork Board for nearly five years in a similar capacity. As a sustainability leader and relationship manager, Angela is focused on finding shared values and opportunities for collaboration and partnership throughout the agriculture value chain and has done so for more than 15 years. Her leadership approach is authentic and fearless, focused on diverse perspectives and a whole systems approach to drive change coupled with a deep knowledge of agricultural practices. Angela starts almost every morning in a Starbucks store, exploring drinks suggested by the retail partners. Her go-to order is a grande americano with vanilla and a splash of heavy cream.

 

Daniel Basse is president of AgResource Company based in Chicago and is an economist who has been in the commodity business since 1979. Raised on a dairy/grain farm in Waukesha, Wis., Daniel has a keen sense of production agriculture. He graduated from the University of Wisconsin, Madison and has since worked with Professional Farmers of America, Brock Associates and the ag research division of GNP Commodities in Chicago. In 1987, Daniel founded AgResource Company to serve the market research needs of the world agricultural community. He holds global conferences on agriculture in Switzerland and Brazil and is vice chairman of the U.S. Farm Foundation.

Brandon Beavers has been the general manager of Full Circle Jerseys in Dalhart, Texas, since 2018 and is a first-generation dairy producer. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in agriculture business from Tarleton State in 2004 and received his MBA from West Texas A&M University in 2014. Full Circle Jerseys milks approximately 6,000 Jersey cows. Brandon’s primary goals on the farm are high component milk production, fertility and longevity.

Karen Bohnert is the brand leader and editorial director for all Farm Journal dairy offerings. With more than 20 years of experience producing award-winning dairy content and her direct experience operating a 600-Jersey cow dairy enterprise, Karen brings a unique skillset to Farm Journal’s table. This allows her to deliver the boots-on-the-ground content to meet producer’s needs.

After completing his graduate work with Bo Svensmark and Christian Grøn in the chemistry department at the University of Copenhagen, Thomas Borch began his doctoral studies under the direction of William P. Inskeep at Montana State University in affiliation with the Center for Biofilm Engineering. Following graduate studies, he began a postdoctoral scientist position in the soil and environmental biogeochemistry group at Stanford University with Scott Fendorf. He spent four great years in Montana and two remarkable years at Stanford University (2000 to 2005) and could not have asked for more enjoyable work environments. The opportunity to join the Department of Soil and Crop Sciences at Colorado State University was compelling. So, in August of 2005 Thomas joined the faculty here to initiate a program in environmental water and soil chemistry.

Lori Captain serves as executive vice president of global sustainability strategy, science and industry affairs for Dairy Management Inc. (DMI). Lori joined DMI in July of 2022 after serving more than 20 years working at Corteva Agriscience and its predecessor DuPont, most recently as chief of staff, external affairs and counsel to the CEO. She has also worked at Syngenta and has significant experience in sustainability, corporate communications, media relations, policy and executive and stakeholder engagement. Her responsibilities for DMI include applying her global business experience to advance U.S. dairy’s vision, guiding environmental science and proof-building, and enabling and aligning broad industry support and engagement for the 2050 Environmental Stewardship Goals.

Casey Dugan is the owner of Desperado Dairy in Casa Grande, Ariz. He is a third-generation dairy farmer; his family moved from Wisconsin to Chandler in the 1960s cementing their roots in Arizona. Having been raised on the farm and learning at a very young age the ins and outs of dairy farming, it became a natural fit for him to eventually run his own 1,000-cow dairy that is milked three times a day. Having graduated from Casa Grande Union High School, Casey stays a proud supporter of their FFA program and the county fair. He has graduated from Northern Arizona University with a bachelor’s degree in business, and he is currently a delegate for Genex and has held that position since 2014. He also holds a board position with DHIA (Dairy Herd Improvement Association) since 2016. He is also co-owner of Dugan Brothers LLC., which harvests corn, alfalfa and sorghum for other Pinal County farmers. Casey is a partner in Dugan Feeds LLC, which distributes feed rations to local dairy farms. He continues his passion for livestock as he raises crossbreed steers at his home.

Dr. Stephen Foulke graduated from the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine
in 1990 a er attending the University of Maryland. Dr. Foulke joined the partnership at Agricultural
Veterinary Associates in 1994 and helped grow the practice to a ten-doctor large animal practice. In
2001 he became board certified with the American Board of Veterinary Practitioners and served as
President of ABVP in 2011-2012. A er 26 years of private practice, Dr. Foulke started with Merial as a
professional services veterinarian and a year later joined Boehringer-Ingelheim with the merger of
the two companies. He is active with the ABVP Exam Committee, ABVP Foundation, ICVA and DCRC.s 

Roland Fumasi is an executive vice president and the North American head of Rabobank’s RaboResearch Food & Agribusiness group. Roland is responsible for managing a team of highly respected analysts, who each specialize in a specific sector within food and agriculture. Previously, Roland served as a senior RaboResearch analyst, covering the North American fruit, vegetable and tree nut industries. He combines a background in agribusiness research with international market development and finance experience in the agriculture industry. Prior to joining Rabobank, Roland served as a senior executive in the equipment industry beginning in 2008. From 2005 to 2008, he served as a research associate for the Agricultural and Food Policy Center at Texas A&M University, where his research focused on specialty crops and alternative energy (biofuel) production. Roland received his doctorate in agricultural economics at Texas A&M University in 2013. Prior to Texas A&M, he was an active researcher at the California Institute for the Study of Specialty Crops at the California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo (Cal Poly), where he produced an award-winning thesis related to specialty crops. Roland received both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in agribusiness from Cal Poly. From 1998 through 2003, he served as a financial adviser for Morgan Stanley in Visalia, Calif., where his business focus was comprehensive financial planning for agricultural families. As a marketing director for various firms during the 1990’s, Roland was responsible for building distribution networks for the animal health industry in three countries.

Rachel Holtz is from Shortsville, N.Y., where she grew up working at Willow Bend Farm, LLC. Today, Willow Bend Farm, LLC milks 5,200 cows on three locations, raises 4,800 young-stock and crops 9,000 acres. Rachel has held many different positions throughout her career at Willow Bend Farm. Currently, her tittle is human resources and public relations. 

Emily Johannes is head of Diverse and Sustainable Sourcing for Nestlé USA. She leads the U.S. food and beverage sourcing strategy in support of Nestlé’s global and regional sustainability and animal care commitments. She is responsible for ensuring compliance with the Nestlé Responsible Sourcing Standard and expanding diversity within Nestlé’s supply-chain. Her role collaborates on projects with suppliers, farmers, non-governmental organizations, and stakeholders in the US on topics of climate action, animal welfare, and social responsibility. She has worked for 20 years implementing environmental/sustainability strategies, measuring and reporting metrics, driving responsible sourcing programs, and developing verification schemes. Emily received her Masters of Science in Ecology from the University of Pittsburgh (Pittsburgh, PA) and her Bachelor of Arts in Zoology from Miami University (Oxford, OH). She is currently pursuing post-graduate education in Food Marketing from St. Joseph’s University (Philadelphia, PA). Emily and her husband, Paul, enjoy spending time bike riding and playing with Quill, their chocolate lab.

In 2007 David Ledgerwood graduated with a master’s degree in animal biology from University of California, Davis, focusing on ruminant nutrition. Upon graduation, he worked as a lab and research program man­ager in the field of animal behavior/welfare on the UC Davis Campus performing various research trials focused on improving cow comfort. From 2011 to 2018, David was a dairy cattle nutritionist with Western Milling where he worked closely with dairy producers on practical nutritional solutions focusing on profitability and feed efficiency. In March 2019, David joined Chr. Hansen as a technical service manager, residing in Visalia, Calif.

Tony Lopes has served as the operations team leader of his family's fourth-generation dairy in Gustine, Calif., since his graduation from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo in 2018. In this role, Tony leads employees toward operational success across the 4,000 cow, multisite dairy operation and 2,500 head beef-on-dairy feedlot operation. Furthermore, Tony leads his company, Precision Genetic Solutions LLC, in providing genetic consulting and data management services for progressive dairies, calf ranches and feedlots across the Western U.S.

Todd Malecha and his wife, Louise, own and operate a diversified operation, Malecha Enterprises, in Villard, Minn. Farming with five of their seven children, they operate a 2300 head dairy, as well as custom chopping, baling and pumping businesses which serve clients throughout the Midwest. Todd and Louise started planning for the transition of their businesses to their children four years ago.

Dan is a dairy industry veteran with a background in herd management with an emphasis on genetics, production and technology. The Wisconsin native earned a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and was owner/manager of a Registered Holstein operation for several years. Following the sale of his herd, Dan worked as a nutritionist and later in a management role with Holstein Association USA, Inc.

Dan began with Lely NA in January 2015 in the role of Senior Farm Management Support. Responsible for the Mountain States, Texas, New Mexico and Arizona, he enjoys the challenges of creating a team of FMS support in a beginning group of Lely Centers.

Tyne Morgan, host of “U.S. Farm Report,” is doing what she calls her dream job. She is a Missouri girl who has generations of agriculture rooted in her blood. Born and raised in Lexington, Mo., FFA was a big part of her childhood. Through public speaking and various contest teams, she plunged into broadcast at the young age of 16. While in high school, she worked at KMZU radio providing the daily farm market updates, as well as local, state and national agriculture news. Although Tyne always knew she wanted to go into TV, it was then she discovered farm broadcasting was her calling. Tyne attended the University of Missouri–Columbia, where she majored in agriculture journalism with an emphasis in broadcast. During her college years, she was a farm broadcast intern for Brownfield Ag News and was the 2006 Missouri State Fair Queen.

Kevin Murphy grew up on a farm in southwestern Minnesota and graduated from the University of Minnesota with a doctorate in dairy nutrition and management in 1991. He has spent the past 30 years in technical service capacities traveling the U.S. and the world presenting management-based training to nutritionists, feed manufacturers and dairy producers. Currently, he is global technical director with Virtus Nutrition headquartered in Turlock, Calif. He is based in Scottsdale, Ariz.

Mike grew up on his family’s dairy farm in southeastern Wisconsin. His lifelong interest in agriculture production led him to the University of Wisconsin – Platteville, where he received his Bachelor of Science degree in Agribusiness with a minor in Dairy Science. While still a student, Mike served a one-year term as a Wisconsin State FFA Officer. Mike began his work in the futures industry in 1995 as an intern with a local brokerage company researching the technical and fundamental dynamics of commodity market history and current price trends. After nearly two decades in the business, Mike founded Commodity Risk Management Group (CRMG) in 2014. In 2019, CRMG merged with Rice Dairy to form Ever.ag, a company that has recently merged with Dairy.com. The growing company provides a suite of marketing and risk management services for producer, processor, and end user clients across its brokerage, insurance, advisory, and technology platforms while producing high-level unbiased research and education to help those clients make better decisions. 

As senior vice president of sustainability, Kevin is responsible for steering DFA’s sustainability activities and evolving the cooperative’s environmental, social and governance efforts. Prior to joining DFA, Kevin worked as the sustainability strategy adviser for a venture capital fund focused on global food system innovation. Before that, he served for more than 16 years in a variety of global sustainability leadership roles at General Mills and Nike. Kevin started his career in the public and consulting sectors advising industries on sustainability. He has had extensive global sustainability and sourcing experience in 25 countries across five continents.

Juan Quezaza has worked in every position within a stable since 1980. He has been in stables in Texas, New Mexico, California and Wisconsin and worked as a consultant in stables in Europe including Denmark, Sweden, Spain, Finland, Slovakia, Holland, Germany and Mexico. Juan also has been the director of employee safety at Milk Source for 10 years and has been with the company for 24 years

Jim Rhoades is currently IDEXX’s senior professional services veterinarian for the cattle business. Jim graduated from the University of Missouri, College of Veterinary Medicine in 1992 and the Executive Veterinary Program (EVP) for beef veterinarians from Kansas State University and the University of Illinois in 2018. His professional interests are in preventing bovine diseases and driving production practices that are sustainable and profitable for the cattle industry.

Tyler Ribeiro is the owner of Rib-Arrow Dairy in Tulare, Calif., and is a fourth-generation dairy producer. He graduated from California State University in 2012 with a bachelor’s degree in agricultural economics. Tyler is currently a board member on the California Cattle Council, Western United Dairy and the Dairy Council of California. Rib-Arrow Dairy milks approximately 1,500 Holstein cows. One of Tyler’s primary goals on the farm is to reduce stress on the cows and employees.

Julia Romagnoli was born in rural Ontario and grew a passion for agriculture through her start in the local 4-H Dairy Club at the age of 10. After graduating from the University of Guelph with a degree in agricultural science, majoring in animal science, Julia started with John Deere Canada ULC which has provided many travel opportunities to explore agricultural practices across the U.S. and Canada. In 2017, Julia was relocated to Calgary, Alberta to focus on the small grains production system and precision agriculture for Alberta and British Columbia. Today, Julia is responsible for Eastern Canada’s hay and forage production system, working with dealers and customers to relate technology, agronomy and equipment solutions to the dairy and livestock segment.

Art Schapp is owner of Highland Dairy in Clovis, N.M. In August 2018, Art received word that 17 of the 42 wells located on his dairy and farm had been contaminated by toxins called per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS.) Earlier this year, with assistance and direction from the State Veterinarian and the New Mexico Livestock Board, they humanely euthanized 3,665 cows – Art’s entire herd. 

Over the course of a 25-year career spanning Fortune 500 companies, nonprofits and foundations, Amy has worked to reimagine the systems that deliver clean water, sustainable food and low carbon energy to society. Amy has a proven track record of helping businesses and nonprofits alike increase and sharpen their impact, grow their revenue and deepen their collaboration with stakeholders and employees. She has worked domestically and internationally at every point in the food-fuel-fiber value chain, advancing new paradigms for a healthy, thriving society and planet. She currently serves as Executive Vice President at Farm Journal, U.S. agriculture’s leading business intelligence and communications company. There, she leads Trust in Food, a purpose-driven business accelerating the adoption of regenerative agriculture across the U.S., and America’s Conservation Ag Movement, one of the largest and most diverse public-private partnerships in conservation agriculture’s history.

Ben Smith is a fourth-generation dairy farmer from Remington, Va., where he owns and operates Cool Lawn LLC, an 800-cow registered Holstein herd; consisting of 17 employees, and 3,000 rented and owned acres. Ben is a Maryland and Virginia Milk Producers Cooperative Association producer, and helps with his family’s ice cream business, Moo Thru. Along with the dairy, Ben operates a hay business producing over 2,000 tons of quality hay for equestrian use.

Jimmy Tosh is the owner and CEO of Tosh Farms, Tosh Pork, LLC, and Bacon By Gosh, Inc. He is a lifelong resident of Henry County, Tennessee. He developed an interest in agriculture at a young age, following in his father’s footsteps. After graduating from Henry High School, he attended the University of Tennessee at Martin and received his BS in Animal Science in 1972. After graduating, he returned home and took over the family business. Since that time, he has worked hard to expand the business from a farm of 316 acres with a small feeder pig finishing unit to the 24th largest swine operation in the United States. Jimmy is devoted to his profession and the Henry community which is evident by his involvement in many community activities including the local fair, Tennessee Pork Producers Association, Soybean Association, Corn Growers Association, Farm Service Agency, Natural Resources Conservation Service, Relay for Life, and others. Jimmy has been married to his wife Alonna for 36 years and together they have two sons, Jamey and Jonathan, both of whom are involved in the business.

Jimmy was honored to have been named the Star Farmer of West Tennessee in his FFA days. He was also selected as the Regional Farmer of the Year and the Southeast Farmer of the Year in 1998.

Arlene, her husband, Robert, and two sons own and operate Robert VanderEyk and Sons Dairy in Pixley Calif. Arlene and Robert are third-generation dairy farmers who recently celebrated being in business for 40 years. Since starting the farm, one of Arlene’s main duties has been to work with the dairy’s veterinarian on herd health. Outside of her farm responsibilities, Arlene serves on the National Dairy Promotion and Research Board and the California Milk Advisory Board. She also serves on the board of the Dairy Council of California and is a delegate for the Dairy Farmers of America cooperative.

In 2021, the VanderEyks were honored with a U.S. Dairy Sustainability Award from the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy, which recognizes exceptional farms, businesses and partnerships for their socially responsible, economically viable and environmentally sound practices and technologies that have a broad and positive impact. The VanderEyks are one of 15 dairy farm families working with Calgren Dairy Fuels, LLC and Maas Energy Works, Inc. on a project that generates renewable transportation fuel.

Marissa is the VP of Sustainability for Dairy West, where she serves dairy farmers in Idaho and Utah. With dairy’s commitment to Net Zero by 2050, she works to tell the story of existing sustainability practices to consumers and customers, as well as facilitate dialogue throughout the supply chain. Marissa fell in love with food and agriculture in the four years after college, when she was working for National Geographic Television in Washington, DC. After receiving an M.S., in Agricultural Economics at the University of Georgia, where she completed thesis research on Farm to School with Georgia Organics and the Centers for Disease Control, she began farming. Marissa served as the manager for several farms, including the largest kale and collard producer in the country. She went on to work in supply chain management through Vermont’s Farm to School program and Sodexo’s food service management company.

Alex Weber is an American Ninja Warrior, Award-Winning Leader & Entertainer positively inspiring millions to achieve breakthrough success! Not only does Alex talk the talk as an in-demand international speaker, he’s walked the walk as an elite competitor on NBC’s Emmy-nominated series American Ninja Warrior. Well, more like, leaped the leap! This wildly popular TV show has sparked a global phenomenon to the extent that hundreds of thousands of people apply, and only a few hundred are given the rare opportunity to compete. Alex is the only person to host and compete on NBC American Ninja Warrior. Alex’s greatest passion is championing your highest potential by helping you find your Edge, because success is about more than just knowing what to do, it’s knowing how to do it. Alex shows Top Professionals and Leaders how to bring their very best everyday, and to the most high-stakes situations that can make or break your success. It's his sincere understanding of peak performance and peak challenges, mixed with inspiring stories and actionable strategies that makes Alex unforgettable and your human shot of espresso. With his contagious energy and passion, Alex shares his game-changing secrets to record-breaking success!

From his office near Washington, D.C., Jim Wiesemeyer contributes daily to Pro Farmer’s website, providing members with the latest information on agricultural policy and trade developments. He also is a twice-weekly participant in Farm Journal’s “AgriTalk” radio program and serves as a Washington analyst for Pro Farmer and Farm Journal. Since 1978, Jim has frequently reported on and interviewed senior government officials, including former Presidents Ronald Reagan and Jimmy Carter, as well as USDA secretaries since Earl Butz. Jim has traveled extensively in his assignments and is a frequent speaker on farm policy and trade issues. He rejoined Pro Farmer in June of 2018, after serving as their Washington consultant for 19 years while at Informa Economics and before that an employee of Pro Farmer. Jim is one of the writers for the Agriculture Letter, formerly the Kiplinger Ag Letter. Prior to Pro Farmer, he was a Washington editor with Doane's Agricultural Report and Washington editor and managing editor of the Washington Farmletter.