Beefmaster Breeders United, Boerne, Texas, has hired Yvonne “Bonnie” Ramirez as the Junior Beefmaster Breeders Association-International and Membership coordinator. Her duties will include managing the junior JBBA program, BBU memberships and the BBU’s international market program portion of the U.S. Livestock Genetics Export Inc.
Kaden McCombs has been hired as the new director of membership for the Oklahoma Cattlemen’s Association, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. McCombs was once a summer intern for the association and grew up on a cow/calf operation in southwest Oklahoma.
Kelsi Christian has been hired as multimedia coordinator for the American Gelbvieh Association. Christian graduated from Texas Tech University and served as an intern at the National Sorghum Producers and Pinto Horse Association of America.
The Dairy Alliance, Atlanta, Georgia, has hired Doug Ackerman as general manager to replace the retiring Cheryl Hayn. Dairy Alliance is a non-profit dairy promotion organization that works with schools, health professions, dairy processors and the public to promote dairy foods.
Dusti Gallagher has been named president and CEO of Heartland Plant Innovations of Manhattan, Kansas. Heartland Plant Innovations is a for-profit company that aims to be a world-class provider of genetic technology that solves problems for the crop improvement, agriculture and food industries. Gallagher was operating Fritz Consulting and served as CEO of Kansas Wheat prior to that.
Shelia Grobosky has been hired as public relations coordinator for BioZyme Inc., St. Joseph, Missouri. As PR coordinator, she will work to promote BioZyme and all its brands through editorial placement, media relations and product integration. Grobosky has 20 years of agricultural communications and event planning experience.
ImmuCell, a Portland, Maine-based animal health company has hired Kathy Becher, Matt Scoville and Dale Miller. Becher will have a dual role as a customer service and sales and marketing support representative. Scoville will serve as the regional sales and marketing manager for California, Arizona and Nevada while working with animal health distributors, veterinarians, calf raisers, dairy farmers and cow/calf operators. Miller will be the regional sales and marketing manager for the northeast U. S. and Canada.
AGCO Parts, a division of AGCO Corporation, Duluth, Georgia, has announced and broken ground on the expansion to its parts distribution center in Regina, Saskatchewan. This will be the largest AGCO Parts investment in North America. Once completed, the additional storage will allow for faster parts delivery to AGCO customers in western Canada.
Dominic Pianalto, Hays, Kansas, has been hired as a yield specialist for AgVenture Pinnacle of Omaha, Nebraska. The firm is committed to providing customers with locally selected and adapted hybrids and varieties. Pianalto will work with farmers to help them implement the Maximum Profit System approach to increasing yields while lowering a farmers’ cost-per-bushel investment and improve overall profitability. Pianalto has worked in truck sales and at High Plains Journal. He has a bachelor’s degree in agribusiness from Fort Hays State University.
Sara Wyant was presented the Veritas award at the recent American Agri-Women convention in Bloomington, Minnesota. Wyant was honored for her reporting of state and national ag policies that affect daily farmers. Wyant, who is owner of Agri-Pulse, is a columnist for High Plains Journal.
The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation has announced the partnership of six oil and natural gas companies, all having significant operations in the Permian Basin of Texas and New Mexico, to support conservation projects in the region. The Pecos Watershed Conservation Initiative will identify significant conservation opportunities to improve habitat, address water scarcity, improve water quality and engage local communities. Anadarko Petroleum, Chevron, XTO Energy, Noble Energy, Occidental Petroleum and Shell have committed more than $3.5 million over three years to the project.
Kurt Kovarik, senior adviser and legislative director of Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-IA, has accepted the position of vice president of federal affairs with the National Biodiesel Board. Kovarik joined Sen. Grassley’s office in August 1997 and has served as a legislative assistant since 2001. He also led Grassley’s efforts on the inclusion of biodiesel in the Renewable Fuel Standard.
Jordan Furnish has been named to oversee distribution and quality control at FeverTags, of Amarillo, Texas. In addition to serving as the company’s operational and technical manager, Furnish will manage FeverTags’ expanding distribution cycle and quality control while working with veterinarians and others in the cattle industry. Furnish has a bachelor’s degree in agriculture business and a minor in animal science from Oklahoma Panhandle State University.
