CropLife Advisory Council
Amy Asmus CCA, RMS
Asmus Farm Supply
Amy Asmus, along with her husband, Harlan, are the second-generation owners of Asmus Farm Supply. Amy became a Certified Crop Adviser (CCA) in 2004 and has since been also certified as a resistance management specialist. Amy works with several associations including: Agricultural Retailers Association as board vice chair, American Society of Agronomy and International Certified Crop Adviser as liaison between the two boards, Weed Science Society of America as a member of their herbicide resistance and education outreach committee and WSSA’s representative on EPA OPP PPDC. Amy also is an invited speaker for many events. Asmus received her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Iowa State University.
Asmus Farm Supply (AFS) is a family-owned agricultural retail business serving northern Iowa and southern Minnesota. AFS specializes in crop protection, plant nutrition, seed and seed treatment. Harlan and Amy Asmus are the second generation to lead AFS while their son Garrett is the third generation involved. At Asmus Farm Supply, selling is more than just price. AFS strives to listen to grower’s production problems, and through product knowledge, recommends an IPM program that is tailored to each grower’s needs. All Agronomists are CCA certified and uphold integrity and trust with each of our growers. Our mission is Consulting Clients with Sustainable Recommendations to Maximize Production.
Dr. Jeff Bunting
GROWMARK
Bunting is currently the Vice President of Crop Protection Division Manager at GROWMARK. He has been in the Division since January of 2011 and assumed his current role after spending 2 years as Marketing Manager. He received his B.S., M. S., and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Illinois. After receiving his Master’s degree, he accepted a job with American Cyanamid as a Technical Service Representative in West Central Illinois. After completing his Ph.D., he joined GROWMARK and has been with the company for 18 years. He is an active member in a number of ag organizations, including the American Society of Agronomy, CropLife America, FieldWatch, North Central Weed Science Society, and Weed Science Society of America.
GROWMARK is an agricultural cooperative with annual sales of $9.5 billion (FY 2021 data) providing agronomy, energy, facility planning, and logistics products and services, as well as grain marketing and risk management services throughout North America. Headquartered in Bloomington, IL, GROWMARK owns the FS trademark, which is used by affiliated member cooperatives. More information is available at growmark.com.
Ernie Chappell
EFC Systems
Ernie Chappell is the Founder and President of EFC Systems, a solution provider to Agribusiness. EFC Systems was founded in Texas in 1988 to develop ERP solutions focused on managerial insights and entered the ag sector in 1991. The company has more than 150 people focused on advancing farm profitability and empowering retail service providers to be more efficient and digitally partner with their growers. He resides in the Nashville area with his wife and three teenage boys.
EFC Systems is now part of Ever.Ag, a 500-person global ag tech powerhouse empowering the supply chain to feed a growing world.
Daren Coppock
Agricultural Retailers Association (ARA)
In his current role, which he’s held since November 2009, Daren leads a staff of eight people to accomplish the mission of the ARA – to ensure a profitable business environment for members of the association through its public policy work in Washington, DC.
Prior to joining ARA, he was the Chief Executive Officer of the National Association of Wheat Growers (NAWG) for more than eight years. He also served as Executive Vice President for the Oregon Wheat Growers League and as the first full-time Administrator of the Oregon Grains Commission.
Daren holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Oregon State University in Agricultural and Resource Economics. He was born and raised on a wheat and cattle ranch in eastern OR, and he and his wife Mechelle live in Falls Church VA with the youngest of our three children.
The Agricultural Retailers Association (ARA) advocates, influences, educates and provides services to support its members in their quest to maintain a profitable business environment, adapt to a changing world and preserve their freedom to operate.
Jim Fargo
Integrated Agribusiness Professionals
Jim Started his Ag career in 1996 working for Centennial Ag Supply in Kersey, Colorado. After starting as a dispatcher for the Colorado retailer, Jim held and several key management roles and became well known within Agriculture and the IAP community as an owner/member in the organization. After gaining years of SH&E experience at the local retail level and earning the National Environmental respect award twice in back to back years Fargo spent working at Nutrien Ag Solutions as the Western U.S. Environmental Health and Safety manager before joining IAP as President. Jim has 27 years of experience in retail ag, he and his IAP team supports 32 independent retailers with 362 retail locations across the U.S. with their crop inputs.
Integrated Agribusiness Professionals is a national agricultural cooperative with global affiliation that gives like-minded retailers a place to network and associate. IAP provides a unified platform that delivers to its owners the services, key supplier relationships, access to innovation and competitive positions to enhance their position as market influencers.
Kelly Farrel
Farrell Growth Groups
Kelly Farrell is a CPA with 25 years of experience, primarily in agribusiness. Kelly graduated from Iowa State University with honors in December 1995 and worked one year in public accounting with a Des Moines, Iowa CPA firm. In 1997 she moved to Kansas City and took a position as an accountant with WILFARM, LLC. During her relatively brief tenure at WILFARM, Kelly was promoted to the position of lead accountant for the newly formed seed distribution business and worked with other departments to develop a system of accounting for seed. When WILFARM became Agriliance, Kelly worked briefly as operations manager at Agwizard.com, managing their tank monitoring service until accepting the opportunity to join Farrell Growth Group in January of 2001.
As a partner at FGG, Kelly worked to develop MIX which has become the premier financial statement benchmarking program in the agricultural retail industry. Through the MIX program and FGG’s peer to peer groups, Kelly spends the majority of her time working with the best ag retailers in the industry in order to assist them in improving their financial performance.
Kelly also works on other consulting projects and with the other FGG partners as they assist retailers in buying and selling businesses. Kelly serves on ARA’s Member Services Committee and the Agribusiness Association of Iowa’s Legislative Committee. She is a graduate of Kansas Ag Retailers Association’s Tomorrow’s Agribusiness Leaders (TAL) program. Additionally, Kelly serves on the boards of Premier Crop Systems and the Agricultural Business Council of Kansas City.
Farrell Growth Group (FGG) is an agribusiness consulting firm founded in 1997 comprised of top quality professionals. We work with only the very best companies in the segments of agribusiness we serve. Services include general agribusiness consulting, an extensive financial benchmarking service to ag retailers and business brokerage with complete mergers and acquisitions services. FGG also facilitates two peer-to-peer groups of top ag retailers in the US and Canada.
Darren Goebel
AGCO Corporation
Darren Goebel is an agronomist and director of Global Agronomy and Farm Solutions at AGCO Corporation, a position he has held since February of 2018. He leads AGCO’s agronomy and farm solutions team, a global team of agronomists whose goal is to prove ROI and effectiveness of advanced decision agriculture solutions and existing AGCO machinery on test farms worldwide. Darren has been a crop consultant and agronomist throughout his career, with work encompassing virtually all crops and geographies. Prior to joining AGCO, Darren held a number of positions with DuPont Pioneer and John Deere.
AGCO is a global leader in the design, manufacture and distribution of agricultural solutions and delivers high-tech solutions for farmers feeding the world through its full line of equipment and related services. AGCO products are sold through five core brands, Challenger®, Fendt®, GSI®, Massey Ferguson® and Valtra®, supported by Fuse® smart farming solutions. Founded in 1990 and headquartered in Duluth, Georgia, USA, AGCO had net sales of $9.0 billion in 2019.
Mike Gomes
Topcon Agriculture
Gomes has been active in the digital transformation of agriculture for more than 25 years. As Vice President of Strategic Business Development for the Agriculture business unit his responsibilities include working alongside global sales and product management teams to develop business strategy, products and alliances that drive business growth. His personal work experience includes utilizing various sensing technologies; optical, sonic, and positioning toward improving in field efficiency and is a co-inventor on patents for aspects of Auto Steering, Sensors and User Interface. He serves on the Association of Equipment Manufactures (AEM) Ag Sector board, vice chair of the AEM Ag Innovations council and a member of AEM Regulatory and Future of Food councils. He has served as Chair of the VDI’s Connected Off Highway Conference in Germany for 2018-2021. In 2019, he was selected to the USA’s FCC Federal task force on Connectivity and Technology needs of Precision Agriculture and has received bi-partisan endorsement from both administrations.
Topcon Positioning Group, headquartered in Livermore, California, designs, manufactures and distributes precise positioning products and solutions for the global surveying, construction, agriculture, civil engineering, BIM, mapping and GIS, asset management and mobile control markets. Its brands include Topcon, Sokkia, Tierra, Digi-Star, RDS Technology, NORAC and 2LS. Topcon Corporation, founded in 1932, is traded on the Tokyo Stock Exchange.
Aissa Good
Commerical Agriculture, Purdue University
Aissa Good serves as managing director for the Center for Food and Agricultural Business and as business development manager and managing director for the Center for Commercial Agriculture in the Department of Agricultural Economics. In this role, she oversees daily operations, identifies engagement opportunities, manages client and sponsor relationships and designs/implements professional development programs for farmers and agribusiness managers both domestically and overseas.
More specifically, Aissa cultivates client relationships and leads curriculum development in collaboration with client management and program faculty. Projects under her direction range from multi-session business management development programs to workshops enhancing key account management and market strategy planning skills of field sales and marketing personnel. She has worked with highly successful agribusiness firms and industry associations and understands the challenges that both small and large companies face in developing their future leaders.
Aissa holds a bachelor’s degree in agricultural business from Middle Tennessee State University, a masters of science in agricultural economics from Purdue University and MBA from the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University. She and her husband Ryan have two boys, Blaine and Brecken, and she spends most of her spare time at athletic events and 4-H activities.
Kevin "KJ" Johnson
Illinois Fertilizer and Chemical Association (IFCA)
KJ is the President of the Illinois Fertilizer and Chemical Association (IFCA). In this role, Johnson serves as Chief Executive Officer. He manages the overall operation and resources of IFCA, including oversight of regulatory and legislative issues and the development of programs that promote stewardship and safety for the nutrient and agrichemical industry.
From 2013 to 2020, Johnson served as the Director of Government and Industry Relations for IFCA where he was responsible for carrying out the legislative and regulatory policy objectives. He fostered positive working relationships with state and federal legislators and agency officials, as well as with other industry organizations. From 2001 to 2013, Johnson served as the agricultural liaison for Congressman Tim Johnson, assisting the Congressman and constituents with policy issues including agriculture and environmental regulations before the House Agriculture Committee.
KJ still farms in Champaign/Vermilion counties with his father and two brothers. KJ earned degrees in agri-business and political science from Illinois State University in 2004. KJ, his wife Anna, and two sons, Kace and Beckett live in St. Joseph, Illinois.
IFCA assists and represents the crop production supply and service industry while promoting the sound stewardship and utilization of agricultural inputs.
Terry Kippley
Council of Producers and Distributors of Agrotechnology (CPDA)
Terry Kippley was named President of CPDA on January 4, 2022. Kippley brings more than 35 years of experience in the agriculture industry, both domestic and international. Most recently, he was president of Aceto Agricultural Chemicals and a long-term board member and past president of the Mid America CropLife Association. Kippley began his career at Monsanto in field sales, followed by product, sales, and business management roles at Oil-Dri Corporation.
During his career with Aceto Agricultural Chemicals Corporation, Kippley led expansion of the EPA post-patent pesticide active-ingredient molecule portfolio and profitability. Key to this success was developing long-term partnerships with Chinese and Indian suppliers, establishing sales relationships with U.S. distributors, and fostering geographic expansion internationally while working through complex regulatory environments.
Kippley was raised as a sixth-generation dairy farmer in Wisconsin and earned a bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Economics from the University of Wisconsin and an MBA from Loyola University of Chicago.
The Council of Producers and Distributors of Agrotechnology (CPDA) based near Washington DC has been the voice and advocate for the adjuvant, inert, and post-patent crop protection industry for 35 years. Nearly 80% of US distribution for the $13 billion crop protection market and approximately 80% of the inert ingredients used in agricultural production in the US are provided by CPDA members. The association members are a network of basic inert manufacturers, adjuvant formulators, distributors, retailers, US pesticide formulators, and post-patent crop protection registrants and manufacturers who make their voices heard by working together.
Ryan Klaveano
Wilbur Ellis Ag Division
Klaveano is the Vice President of Sales & Marketing for the Wilbur-Ellis Ag Division located in Aurora, Colorado. He oversees sales and marketing activities for the retail and wholesale businesses in the United States. He joined Wilbur-Ellis in January, 2015.
Klaveano has focused on sales and marketing roles his entire 25+ years in the ag industry. He launched his career in 1994 with Ciba-Geigy (later Syngenta) after completing his undergraduate degree at the University of Idaho. He touched all aspects of Syngenta’s businesses including crop protection, seeds, and seed treatment. His Syngenta career in the US took him to South Dakota, North Carolina, Tennessee, Minnesota, the Pacific Northwest, and overseas to Switzerland.
Ryan grew up on a cereals farm in eastern Washington and has a lifelong passion for agriculture. He holds his undergraduate degree from the University of Idaho and an MBA from Purdue University.
Kathy Mathers
The Fertilizer Institute (TFI)
Kathy Mathers leads the association’s communication efforts to policymakers, stakeholders and the industry, and serves as The Fertilizer Institute’s (TFI) spokesperson to the media and the public at large.
Kathy has represented TFI on camera in interviews with CBS News, CNN, Fox News and NBC News. Additionally, she has been quoted in The New York Times, and The Wall Street Journal and by major news services including the Associated Press, Bloomberg News and Reuters. Public outreach projects managed by Kathy have garnered awards of recognition from the International Association of Business Communicators, the Public Relations Society of America, and the National AgriMarketing Association.
Kathy holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in History from the Catholic University of America, and a Certificate in Non-Profit Management from Georgetown University. Kathy and her husband, David, live in Manassas, Virginia.
Bob Trogele
AMVAC
Bob Trogele, has enjoyed a dynamic year leadership career in Agribusiness, working for “large caps” such as Hoechst, Aventis and Bayer, and “mid-caps” such as Schering and FMC. He has working experience and knowledge in Europe, Asia and the Americas at all levels of Agribusiness crop segments and systems (chemical, nutrient, seed, biologicals and precision agriculture). In addition, he has worked at the country, regional and corporate general management level. Further, Trogele has been a voluntary Adjunct Professor at the Berlin School of Economics & Law, educating Asian European MBA’s as future leaders in global business and society. He is an independent board director of Clean Seeds Capital Group and the Farm Journal Foundation and sits on the board of the Agricultural Retailer Association.
American Vanguard Corporation
American Vanguard Corporation is a diversified specialty and agricultural products company focusing on crop protection, turf and ornamental markets, and public health applications. The Company has continued its successful strategy of acquiring or licensing both new and well-established product lines that serve numerous high valued market niches. New product development and international expansion also provide an additional stimulus for growth. Through skillful marketing, diligent product registration, quality manufacturing, American Vanguard has positioned itself to capitalize on developing trends in modern agriculture. American Vanguard will continue to meet the needs of a world demanding ever-increasing quantities of agricultural products for human food, animal feed, natural fibers and alternative fuels.
American Vanguard’s subsidiary, AMVAC Chemical Corporation (https://www.amvac.com), develops, manufactures and markets effective agricultural and commercial products for crop protection, non-agricultural and public health applications. AMVAC’s product development capabilities include new product acquisition and/or licensing for U.S. domestic sales and worldwide product distribution. AMVAC operates six manufacturing facilities in the U.S. that provide flexible production of high-quality products with an excellent record of safety and regulatory compliance. AMVAC also maintains a very robust product registration function that has successfully maintained the intellectual property value of the company’s portfolio
Amy Winstead
GreenPoint Ag
Amy Winstead is the Vice President of Business Innovation and Agronomy for GreenPoint Ag Holdings, LLC a joint venture between Alabama Farmers Cooperative, Tennessee Farmers Cooperative and Winfield Solutions. In this role she leads GreenPoint Ag’s IT and Business Systems and the Agronomy and Ag Technology offerings for Alabama Farmers Cooperative, Tennessee Farmers Cooperative and GreenPoint Ag retail locations. Prior to joining GreenPoint Ag, Amy was the Chief Technology Officer for Agri-AFC, LLC and worked for the Alabama Cooperative Extension System as an Extension Agent with statewide responsibilities for Precision Agriculture. She received her Bachelor and Master of Science degrees in Agronomy and Soils with a Precision Agriculture emphasis from Auburn University. Amy currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Ag Data Coalition. She and her husband Matt reside in north Alabama with their two sons.
GreenPoint Ag Holdings, LLC is a joint venture between Alabama Farmers Cooperative, Tennessee Farmers Cooperative and WinField United. WinField is an entity of Land O’Lakes. GreenPoint Ag provides competitively priced crop inputs and premier agronomy, product application and ag technology offerings, backed by almost 90 years’ legacy of customer service and expertise. GreenPoint Ag is headquartered in Decatur, Alabama and serves growers in Alabama, Tennessee, Georgia, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, Arkansas, Missouri, Kentucky, and the Florida Panhandle.
David Swain
Vision Technology Management, LLC
Dave is the founder and President/CEO of Vision Technology Management, LLC. He obtained his B.A. in Agricultural Economics from Purdue University in 1988. Following his graduation, he gained valuable experience in the agricultural industry, starting in retail fertilizer sales with a cooperative in southwest Ohio. He also managed a retail location in southwest Michigan with a national fertilizer company. In addition to these roles, he spent three years in application equipment sales with AgChem Equipment Company and has accumulated over 25 years of experience in technology sales, sales management, and technology product marketing.
His expertise spans various agricultural technology segments, encompassing data, data management, and equipment technologies. Dave has worked with established companies, including AgChem Equipment, AGCO, Southern States Coop, and DTN. He has also been involved with a startup company, Spensa Technologies.
Vision Technology Management is a consultancy that specializes in the Implementation of technology tools and services within the agricultural sector. Our primary focus is on assisting growers, ranchers, and agribusinesses in harnessing the full potential of agricultural technology to enhance their operations. We are dedicated to emphasizing the business aspects of agricultural technology and are committed to establishing a continuous process that fuels innovation and seamless implementation.