Today on National Ag Day, AgGrad announced winners of this year’s AgGrad 30 Under 30 Awards, a program that shows the future of agriculture is bright and aims at rewarding those making the extra effort to move this industry forward.
Eighteen judges, including AGDAILY Managing Editor Ryan Tipps, were asked to select winners from peer and self nominations based on contributions to agriculture, community, strength of innovation and significance of accomplishments. Winners will be featured on AgGrad’s social media channels and in a special print and online publication.
“From driving change within their local U.S.-based communities to supporting farmers and educators across the globe, the future is now with these incredible nominees!” said Renée Vassilos, Director of Agriculture Innovation at The Nature Conservancy and an AgGrad 30 Under 30 judge.
The AgGrad 30 Under 30 2020 winners by category were:
Production
- Brooke Beam, Agriculture,Natural Resources and Community Development Extension Educator in Ohio
- Casey Call, Head Grower at Plenty in California
- Jesse Wiggins, Sales at Wiggins Farms LLP in Texas
- Tony Lopes, Operations Team Leader at Tony L. Lopes Dairy, L.P. in California
Innovation & Technology
- Alacyn Cox, Product Support Rep at John Deere in Iowa
- Alexander Chuck, Chief Financial Officer at Pharm Robotics in California
- Ellie Symes, Founder and CEO at the Bee Corp in Indiana
- Tyler McGee, Founder and CEO at Tycom, Inc. in North Carolina
Entrepreneurship
- David Chan, COO and Founding Team Member at FarmTogether in New York
- Delaney Howell, Host of Market to Market and Founder of Ag News Daily and the Global Ag Network
- Matt Foley, Program Director at Invest Nebraska in Nebraska
- Mitchell Hora, Founder of Continuum Ag in Iowa
- Tyler Nuss, Purchasing Manager at Rivian in California and Co-Founder of The Modern Acre
- Zane Peterson, Owner and Manager of Peterson Timber, Inc in California
Education & Advocacy
- Benjamin Brown, Assistant Professor of Professional Practice in Agriculture in Ohio
- Hannah Thompson-Weeman, Vice President of Communications at Animal Agriculture Alliance in Maryland
- Matthew Malcolm, Managing Editor at Malcolm Media Ag Publishing in California
- Peter Bachmann, Vice President of International Trade Policy at USA Rice Federation in Washington D.C.
- Sarah Mock, Freelance Writer Focused on Rural and Agricultural Issues in Washington D.C.
Agribusiness
- Cain Thurmond Senior Account Manager at CSX Transportation in Illinois
- Garrett Lister Risk Management of Cattle at Innovative Livestock Services in Kansas
- Jordan Bonham Rasmussen Farm Marketer at Cargill in Nebraska
- Lorryn Bolte Global Marketing Communications Specialist at Novus International, Inc. in Missouri
- Pedee Ewing Research Associate at Bayer in Idaho
- Rosie Thoni U.S. Public Relations Lead at AdFarm in Kansas
- Tristan Hudak Vice President of Ag Biotech, Inc. in California
Sustainability/Food Security
- Andrea Zinn, Smallholder Farmer Finance & Agri Data Consultant in Costa Rica
- Anna Glenn, Agriculture Instructor with Hope in Harvest Missions International in Liberia
- Keith Heidecorn, VP Sustainability at Locus Agricultural Solutions in Ohio
- Sarah Hulick, Grower Innovation at Full Harvest in California
“These 30 individuals are at the forefront of agriculture and will one day be the leaders in agribusiness, innovation and technology, education and advocacy, entrepreneurship, sustainability and production,” says AgGrad Founder Tim Hammerich.
AgGrad was established in 2015 with the mission of “helping young professionals find their place in modern agriculture.” The company accomplishes this mission by providing blog posts, career profiles, job postings, “AgGrad Live” (a video program), and a weekly podcast called the “Future of Agriculture.” All is provided at zero cost to students and young professionals and supported by participating agribusinesses.
