Panelist Bios
Emcee: Claire Shipman
Contributor, ABC News’ Good Morning America
Claire Shipman is a contributor to ABC News' Good Morning America. She joined the morning broadcast in May of 2001 and is based in the network's Washington, D.C., bureau. Shipman regularly interviews newsmakers for Good Morning America.
Prior to joining ABC News, Shipman served as NBC News' White House correspondent. There, she regularly reported on presidential policy and politics for "NBC Nightly News with Tom Brokaw" and NBC's "Today Show". In addition to her NBC duties, Shipman wrote a popular column for John F. Kennedy Jr.'s George Magazine.
Before joining NBC, Shipman spent 10 years at CNN, where she covered the White House. Shipman previously spent five years at CNN's Moscow bureau, where she won international praise for her coverage of Boris Yeltsin's 1993 assault on the Russian Parliament building.
She holds a graduate degree in international affairs from Columbia University and a Bachelor of Arts degree. in Russian studies from Columbia University, where she graduated magna cum laude.
In June of 2009, Shipman's first book entitled "Womenomics" (co-authored by Katty Kay) was published by Harper Business.
Moderator: Phil Lempert
Food Trends Analyst and Editor, The Lempert Report/Supermarket Guru
Known as The Supermarket Guru®, Lempert is a distinguished author and speaker who alerts customers and business leaders to impending corporate and consumer trends, and empowers them to make educated purchasing and marketing decisions.
As one of America’s leading consumer trend-watchers and analysts, Phil Lempert is recognized on television, radio and in print. He is the food trends editor and correspondent for NBC’s "Today Show", where he reports on consumer trends, food safety and money-saving tips, as well as showcases new products. He makes monthly appearances on ABC’s The View, and has appeared numerous times on The Oprah Winfrey Show, 20/20, CNN, CNBC, Discovery Health and MSNBC, as well as on local television morning and news programs throughout the country.
Lempert founded SupermarketGuru.com in 1994.SupermarketGuru.com offers thorough food ratings, analyzes trends in food marketing and retail, and features health advice, unique recipes, nutrition analysis, allergy alerts and many other resources to help consumers understand their food, health, lifestyle and shopping options.
Lempert is a spokesperson for ConAgra Foods. He is the author of Being the Shopper and Healthy, Wealthy & Wise. Lempert graduated from Drexel University with degrees in Marketing and Retail Management.
Guest Speaker: Tom Vilsack
Secretary, U.S. Department of Agriculture
As Secretary of Agriculture, Vilsack is working hard to strengthen the American agricultural economy, to revitalize rural communities, to protect and conserve our natural resources, and to provide a safe, sufficient and nutritious food supply for the American people.
As Agriculture Secretary, Vilsack has worked to implement President Obama’s ambitious agenda to turn around the economy and put Americans back to work. USDA has supported struggling farmers and ranchers, provided food aid to one in four Americans, and worked to create jobs and build a foundation for future economic growth.
Under Vilsack’s leadership, USDA is working to improve the health of America’s children, targeting child hunger and obesity with efforts to encourage balanced meals, nutritious eating and increased physical activity. He has ordered a top to bottom review of USDA’s food safety standards and has begun to implement policy changes to ensure the safety of the American food supply.
Secretary Vilsack shares President Obama’s commitment to strengthening rural America, which is why USDA is helping create economic opportunities in America’s rural communities by expanding broadband access, promoting renewable energy, increasing agricultural exports, taking advantage of ecosystem markets, capitalizing on outdoor recreation, and linking local farm production to local consumption.
Secretary Vilsack’s USDA is promoting American agriculture production and biotechnology exports by conducting cutting edge agricultural research and maintaining an appropriate safety net for America’s farmers and ranchers. Vilsack is committed to President Obama’s National Export Initiative to expand American agricultural exports through travel, negotiations and improved promotion strategies. He has worked to develop a United States Government-wide strategy to establish food security across the globe.
Prior to his appointment, Vilsack served two terms as the Governor of Iowa. He received a bachelor’s degree from Hamilton College in 1972 and earned a law degree from Albany Law School in 1975.
Panelist: Bob Stallman
Texas Farmer/Rancher; President, American Farm Bureau Federation and Chairman, USFRA
Bob Stallman, a rice and cattle producer from Columbus, Texas, is president of the American Farm Bureau Federation, the nation's largest and most influential general farm organization.
Prior to becoming AFBF President, Stallman was president of the Texas Farm Bureau. He became a member of AFBF's board of directors in 1994. A 1974 honors graduate of the University of Texas, Stallman joined the family farm operation in 1975.
In addition to Farm Bureau involvement, Stallman has been selected to serve on various state and federal committees. In 2007, the President appointed him to serve as a member of the White House Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations (ACTPN). In June 2001, Stallman began serving on the Advisory Committee on International Economic Policy (ACIEP). He also began serving on the board of trustees for the Farm Foundation.
In 1996, the Texas Governor appointed Stallman to the Citizen's Committee on Property Tax Relief. That same year, Stallman was appointed by then-House Agriculture Committee Chairman to the Commission on 21st Century Production Agriculture. He also served on the board of directors for the American Council for Capital Formation (ACCF).
In 2010, Stallman was elected chairman of the newly formed U.S. Farmers and Ranchers Alliance (USFRA). He also began serving on the board of trustees for the Council for Agricultural Science and Technology (CAST).
Panelist: Tres Bailey
Director of Agriculture and Food, WalMart Stores, Inc.
Tres Bailey is the Director of Agriculture and Food in the Federal Goverment Relations department of WalMart Stores, Inc. Since 2005, Tres has represented Walmart on all legislative and regulatory issues related to the company's grovery division, with particular emphasis on food safety and nutrition initiatives. Bailey was instrumental in Walmart's launch of a major nutrition initiative in 2011 that focuses on making food healthier and making healthier food more affordable fo the millions of customers shopping in Walmart every week.
In addition, Bailey has worked on international trade issues, including the WTO, bilateral trade agreements, preference programs and foreign investment. In 2008, he was reappointed by the Secretary of Agriculture and the U.S. Trade Representative to serve on the Agricultural Technical Advisory Committee for Trade in Animal and Animal Products.
Prior to joining WalMart, Bailey was Congressman Charlie Stenholm’s (D-Texas) legislative assistant responsible for energy, agriculture, transportation and Blue Dog issues. A native of West Texas, Bailey was an intern for the House Agriculture Committee and a graduate of Texas A&M University with a degree in agricultural economics.
Panelist: Frank DiPasquale
CEO, School Nutrition Association
Frank DiPasquale serves as Chief Executive Officer for the School Nutrition Association (SNA) and the School Nutrition Foundation (SNF). SNA, a 501(c)(4) association with over 53,000 members, was founded in 1946 as the American School Food Service Association, the same year President Truman signed the National School Lunch Act. The association represents all segments of school food service including directors, managers, employees, nutrition educators and industry.
Prior to his current position, he served as Executive Vice President of the National Grocers Association (NGA), has experience in association management and specializes in food and nutrition advocacy. Among his many accomplishments during his more than 14 years with NGA, DiPasquale developed the Farmer Goes to Market Program, a model for the US Department of Agriculture’s local and sustainable food initiative, “Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food.” He also was co-developer of the PBS series Food Sense. Prior to his position with NGA, DiPasquale served as Corporate Director, Human Resources Management and Operational Services for Kmart International Headquarters.
He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration from Iona College, New Rochelle, New York and a Masters Certificate in Human Resource Management from Marist College, Poughkeepsie, New York.
Panelist: Jon Scholl
President, American Farmland Trust; Illinois Corn and Soy Bean Farmer
Jon Scholl became the President of American Farmland Trust in July 2008, after serving as Counselor to the Administrator for Agricultural Policy at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) since 2004. At the U.S. EPA, Scholl led the development of the first National Agricultural Strategy, first agricultural advisory committee and the first agency-wide cross media agriculture team. He also helped direct agency regulations on animal feeding operations, renewable fuel standards, clean air rules, and emission reporting requirements. In 2007, Scholl provided counsel to the USDA farm bill team on conservation provisions.
Prior to his work at the U.S. EPA, Scholl was Executive Assistant to the President of the Illinois Farm Bureau, among other positions including Director of Public Policy, Director of National Legislation and Director of Natural Resources. Over his 25 years with Illinois Farm Bureau, he worked with the Illinois Congressional delegation and coordinated several legislative initiatives at state and local levels. Scholl also worked at the Illinois Department of Agriculture.
Jon Scholl and his family operate a corn and soybean farm in McLean County, Illinois. Interested in the development of renewable energy, they have sited windmills on their farm. Jon graduated from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1978 with a Bachelor of Science degree in agricultural science.
Panelist: Dan Glickman
Senior Fellow, Bipartisan Policy Center and Former U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary (1995-2001)
Dan Glickman is a Senior Fellow at the Bipartisan Policy Center, where he focuses on public health, national security and economic policy issues. He also co-chairs BPC's Democracy Project and co-leads the center's Nutrition and Physical Activity Initiative.
Previously, Glickman served as Chairman of the Motion Picture Association of America, Inc. (MPAA) from 2004 until 2010. Prior to joining the MPAA, he was the Director of the Institute of Politics at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government from 2002-2004.
Glickman served as the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture from March 1995 until January 2001. Under his leadership, the Department administered farm and conservation programs; modernized food safety regulations; forged international trade agreements to expand U.S. markets; and improved its commitment to fairness and equality in civil rights.
Before his appointment as Secretary of Agriculture, Glickman served for 18 years in the U.S. House of Representatives representing the 4th Congressional District of Kansas. During that time, he was a member of the House Agriculture Committee, including six years as chairman of the subcommittee with jurisdiction over federal farm policy issues.
He received his Bachelor of Arts in history from the University of Michigan and his law degree from The George Washington University. He is a member of the Kansas and District of Columbia Bars. He is the author of “Farm Futures,” in Foreign Affairs (May/June 2009).
Panelist: Kathi Brock
Director, Strategic Partnerships American Humane Association Farm Animal Program
Brock had a successful 30-year career of owning and managing marketing communications companies, representing national and regional clients. She specialized in strategic planning and brand development. She was recognized as Advertising Professional of the Year, as well as the Silver Medalist for Contributions in Creative Excellence and Responsibility in Social Concerns.
In addition to a distinguished record in management of businesses, Brock also is recognized for non-profit board leadership and fundraising, with emphasis on children and animals. She chaired the Denver Dumb Friends League and Kempe Children’s Foundation Boards of Directors. She has worked with American Humane Association for six years in strategic planning, communications and management of the Farm Animal Program, the original and fastest growing third-party welfare audit and certification program in the nation. The program continues with her to collaborate with farmers and ranchers, industry, government and consumers to improve the welfare of animals in food production.
Panelist: Jason Clay
Senior Vice President, Market Transformation, World Wildlife Fund
Dr. Jason Clay is working with leading corporations to transform the global markets they operate in, so we can produce more with less land, less water and less pollution. As Senior Vice President of Market Transformation, he is guiding WWF’s engagement with companies to improve their supply chain management, particularly through innovative raw materials sourcing and risk reduction strategies around issues like carbon and water. Advancing an innovative theory of change, Jason believes that 100 leading companies can shift global markets towards more sustainable practices, reaching a tipping point in which markets support conservation priorities.
Dr. Jason Clay has dedicated his career to enacting change in global commodities markets. As WWF’s Senior Vice President of Market Transformation, he is engaging with leading companies to improve the sustainability of their supply chains, impacting the way that commodities are produced and sold worldwide. He has convened industry roundtables of retailers, producers, scientists and environmentalists to reduce the key impacts of producing commodities such as soy, cotton, sugar cane, salmon and shrimp. Over the course of his career, Jason has run a family farm, taught at Harvard and Yale, worked in the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and spent more than twenty-five years working with human rights and environmental organizations. He received his Ph.D. in anthropology and international agriculture from Cornell University and has authored more than 250 articles and 15 books on the topics of environment, agriculture, aquaculture, poverty alleviation and CSR. His favorite flavor of ice cream is Ben & Jerry's Rainforest Crunch, which he helped create—with sustainably harvested ingredients—after meeting "Ben" at a Grateful Dead fundraiser.
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Moderator: John Besh
Chef
John Besh is a chef and a native son dedicated to the culinary riches of southern Louisiana. In his restaurants, entrepreneurial pursuits, and public activities, he preserves and promotes ingredients, techniques, and heritage one mouth-watering dish at a time.
Besh grew up in southern Louisiana and has set the benchmark for fine dining in New Orleans – a town whose identity is bound to its food. Each of his six acclaimed restaurants (August, Besh Steak, Luke, La Provence, American Sector, and Domenica) celebrates the bounty and traditions of the region.
From the outset of his career, Besh’s talent and drive have earned him continuous kudos: Food & Wine named him one of the “Top 10 Best New Chefs in America” and his flagship restaurant August was featured on the late great Gourmet magazine’s “Guide to America’s Best Restaurants,” and “America’s Top 50 Restaurants.” Local publications keeping close tabs on the dining scene, like The Times-Picayune and New Orleans City Business, have applauded all his other restaurants as they’ve appeared and won the hearts and palates of discriminating diners. He won the James Beard Award for Best Chef of the Southeast in 2006, and was awarded Food Arts’ Silver Spoon Award in 2009 for revitalizing the culinary legacy of New Orleans. John Besh is a frequent guest chef on the NBC Today Show, and has appeared on top programs on The Food Network and the Sundance Channel.
Panelist: Bart Schott
North Dakota corn farmer and President, National Corn Growers Association
Bart Schott, a farmer in Kulm, N.D., serves as president of the Corn Board of the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA), a farmer-directed trade association with offices in St. Louis and Washington.
Schott and his family are third- and fourth-generation owner/operators raising no-till corn, soybeans and wheat. Schott also runs a seed business including both sales and small grain seed for the North Dakota Seed Department. He has served as chairman and vice chairman of the North Dakota Corn Council.
Schott is a member of the National Corn-to-Ethanol Research Advisory Board and the NCGA delegate to the U.S. Grains Council., as well as a member of the Agri-Industry Council Executive Committee. He has also served as Corn Board liaison for the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, as a member of the NCGA Finance Committee, as first vice president of the Sweetener Coalition and as a liaison for NCGA’s Grower Services Action Team. Schott was previously a member of the NCGA Biotechnology Working Group, chairman of NCGA’s Bylaws Committee and a member of the Research and Development Business Action Team.
Panelist: Dr. Lynn Silver
Director of the Office of Science and Policy, New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene
Lynn Silver, MD, MPH, is Director of the Office of Science and Policy, of New York City Department of Health where she worked since 2004. She has coordinated much of the Department’s response to obesity and chronic disease. Dr. Silver led NYC policy initiatives such as the NYC Trans Fat ban, Calorie labeling, the National Salt Reduction Initiative, the joint Department-American Institute of Architects FIT-CITY built environment program and others.
Dr. Silver was previously at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, and is a Associate Professor and former director of the School of Health Sciences of the University of Brasilia. She has worked widely internationally on health policy issues as a researcher and with the consumer movement. She received her MD and MPH degrees and pediatric training from the Johns Hopkins University and Hospital.
Panelist: Sarah Murray
Contributor, Financial Times, Author, Moveable Feasts
Sarah Murray is a longtime Financial Times contributor, covering the relationship between business and society and the environment since the 1990s, when she edited two pioneering FT magazines, Responsible Business and Business in the Community. She is a contributing editor and lead writer on the FT’s business and sustainability special reports, and has spearheaded new publications for the FT such as its annual World Food special report.
She also writes research reports on business and sustainability for the Economist Group, most recently, the 2011 publications, “Liveanomics: Urban liveability and economic growth” and “Unlocking the benefits of energy efficiency: An executive dilemma.”
Murray is a consulting writer for the sustainability practice of The Boston Consulting Group. She is Editor of Giving 2.0: Transform Your Giving and Our World by Laura Arrillaga-Andreessen (Wiley/Jossey-Bass, October 2011).
Murray is author of Moveable Feasts: From Ancient Rome to the 21st Century, the Incredible Journeys of the Food We Eat—which looks at the history of the global movement of food and the impact it has made on politics, economics and culture (Picador, 2008, St Martin’s Press, 2007, Aurum Press, 2007)—and Making an Exit: From the Magnificent to the Macabre, How We Dignify the Dead (St Martin’s Press, 2011).
Panelist: Patricia Cobe
Senior Editor, Restaurant Business Magazine
Pat Cobe is currently Senior Editor of Restaurant Business magazine. In this capacity, she plans and executes many sections of the magazine, including food, beverage and menu trends; profiles of chefs and restaurateurs; foodservice purchasing; and marketing and lifestyle features. She also contributes regularly to the magazine’s award-winning website, MonkeyDish.com, which has recently been revamped, and creates the new recipe e-newsletter, Recipedia.
Cobe came to RB from Hearst Custom Publishing, where she was an Executive Editor. Prior to that, she worked as a freelance food and business writer, contributing to many of the women’s magazines and websites and co-authoring four books. She graduated from Cornell University and received a Masters degree in Journalism from Boston University. Cobe is currently on the Board of Les Dames d’Escoffier New York. For the previous six years, she served on the James Beard Journalism Committee and has been active on committees of the Women’s Foodservice Forum, International Foodservice Editorial Council and the New York Woman’s Culinary Alliance.
Panelist: Pamela Ronald
Pamela Ronald is Professor at the University of California, Davis, and serves as Director of Grass Genetics at the Joint Bioenergy Institute. Her research has been published in Science, Nature and other leading peer-reviewed scientific journals and has also been featured in The New York Times, Organic Gardening Magazine, Popular Mechanics, CNN, The Scientist, Popular Science and on National Public Radio.
Ronald is an elected Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. She was awarded Fulbright (1984), Guggenheim (2000) and Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (2008) Fellowships. She and her colleagues were recipients of the USDA 2008 National Research Initiative Discovery Award. In 2009, Ronald received the National Association of Science Writers Science in Society Journalism Award and was nominated for the Biotech Humanitarian Award. In 2011, Ronald was selected to be the Charles Valentine Riley lecturer and was selected as one of the 100 most creative people in business by Fast Company Magazine.
Ronald has written opinion pieces for the Boston Globe, The Economist and the New York Times. Ronald is a blogger for ScienceBlogs, which has recently partnered with National Geographic. She is co-author with her husband, Raoul Adamchak, an organic farmer, of "Tomorrow's Table: Organic Farming, Genetic and the Future of Food” that was selected as one of the best books of 2008 by Seed Magazine and the Library Journal.
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Moderator: Jane Wells
Business News Reporter, CNBC
Jane Wells is currently a CNBC business news reporter, based in Los Angeles where she covers agriculture and defense as well as reports on California’s economy, West Coast real estate and Las Vegas. Wells also writes the blog “Funny Business” for CNBC.com covering a variety of unusual items. Wells came from CNBC's "Upfront Tonight" where she was senior correspondent.
Wells joined CNBC in 1996, providing special coverage of the O.J. Simpson civil case for “Rivera Live.” Prior to joining CNBC, she was a correspondent for the Fox News Channel and Los Angeles reporter for NBC's flagship television station, WNBC, New York. Her television news career includes reporter positions with KTTV, Los Angeles; WTVJ, Miami; and, KOB, Albuquerque. She has also contributed international reports for CNN.
Wells has received numerous honors for her work including a 1992 Peabody Award and DuPont Award for her role in the live coverage of the Rodney King Trial. That same year, she earned a Los Angeles Emmy Award for her investigative reporting. She has also received UPI, Press Club and Emmy Awards for feature reporting, three Florida Emmy Awards for news reporting, and the Investigative Reporters and Editors Award for team reporting.
Wells holds bachelor's degrees in broadcast journalism and philosophy from the University of Southern California, where she graduated with honors.
Panelist: Dr. Neal Van Alfen
Dean, UC Davis College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences
Neal Van Alfen is dean of the UC Davis College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences at the University of California, Davis – the leading college of its kind in the nation. Van Alfen oversees cutting-edge research and top-ranked education programs addressing critical issues related to agriculture and food systems, the environment, and human and social sciences.
Van Alfen was named dean of UC Davis College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences in 1999, and was appointed in 2009 by the chancellor to a third term as dean. Under his leadership, numerous academic programs within the college have risen to, and maintained, top national rankings.
Van Alfen has established numerous institutes and centers in the college, which serve as statewide, national and international centers for interdisciplinary research and information outreach on critical topics such as food safety, agricultural and food sustainability, health and nutrition, demographic and regional change, environmental change and stewardship, and urban horticulture.
Prior to earning a doctoral degree in plant pathology from UC Davis, Van Alfen earned bachelor’s (chemistry) and master’s (botany) degrees from Brigham Young University. Van Alfen’s prior appointments include head of the Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology at Texas A&M University; professor of biology and molecular biology and biochemistry at Utah State University; and plant pathology research scientist at the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station.
Panelist: Michael Dimock
President, Roots of Change
Michael Dimock is President of Roots of Change Fund. ROC Fund develops and provides resources to a network of leaders and institutions in California collaborating in pursuit of a sustainable food system. It has invested nearly $6.3 million directly and attracted nearly $5 million in match for its programs and projects since 2004.
Dimock was a marketing executive in Europe for agribusiness, farmed organically for three years in Sonoma County, and in 1992 founded Ag Innovations Network, where he began his work on community consensus building and strategic planning to create healthier food and agriculture. From 2002 to 2007, he was Chairman of Slow Food USA and a member of Slow Food International’s board of directors.
Dimock’s love for food systems grew from experience on an 11,000-acre cattle ranch in Santa Clara County in the late 1960s and a development project with Himalayan subsistence farmers in Nepal in the late 70s. He has worked in television and film production and was a political advanceman for California Governor Jerry Brown. He received a Bachelor of Arts in History with Honors at UCLA in 1983 and a Masters degree in International Affairs at Columbia University in 1988.
Panelist: Eric Benson
President, J.S. West & Co.; California Egg Producer
Eric Benson is president of J.S. West & Co., a family owned and operated farm. More than 100 years ago, his grandfather, James Stewart West, moved to Modesto in the northern San Joaquin Valley and started a new business selling grain and coal. The company has since expanded, including a poultry operation that produces a million eggs a day.
Benson has nearly 20 years of progressive professional experience in helping to run the large family business, which has nearly 300 employees and family members. His experience includes management of hazardous materials operations, product distribution networks, food production companies, animal agriculture management, feed milling and sales.
Panelist: Stuart Woolf
President, Woolf Farming and Processing
Woolf is President and CEO of Woolf Farming & Processing. Woolf Farming & Processing is a family owned operation whose primary business is the production and processing of agricultural commodities. The Company was named the 2004 Agribusiness of the Year in Fresno County and the Family Business of the Year (2004) by the Family Business Institute at Fresno State University.
He also serves as the managing partner for two related entities; Harris Woolf California Almonds and Los Gatos Tomato Products. Harris Woolf is a processor and handler of raw almonds. Los Gatos manufactures bulk tomato paste for industrial users. The company also owns two frozen vegetable companies; Coastal Green Vegetable Company in Oxnard and Patterson Vegetable Company in Patterson California.
He received a bachelor’s degree in Liberal Arts from the University of California at Berkeley and an MBA at Boston College. Woolf has served as Chairman of the California League of Food Processors and the Almond Board of California. He is past member of the Young Presidents Organization’s Golden Gate Chapter and past Chairman of the UC President’s Commission of Agriculture and Natural Resources. Stuart currently serves on the board of Ruiz Food Products.
Panelist: RIck Stott
Executive Vice President of Business Development, Agri Beef Co. and Idaho Cattle Rancher
Rick Stott is the executive vice president of business development of Agri Beef Co. headquartered in Boise, Idaho. His responsibilities include deploying new opportunities, acquisitions, information technology strategy, marketing, and regulatory and public policy affairs of the company. Among other strategic initiatives, Rick headed a team to launch a new company to market protein directly to consumers at TheDoubleRRanch.com.
Agri Beef Co. is a diversified protein company operating in 15 states and 15 countries with more than 1,100 employees. The business is comprised of feedlot operations, beef packing plant, feed supplement production, livestock trading and cow/calf operations.
Stott is a fifth generation cattleman. He graduated with a Bachelors and Masters degrees in accounting from Brigham Young University. Currently he is serving as a board member on the University of Idaho Agriculture Dean’s Advisory Board and on several other industry boards. He is a member of several professional and community organizations including; The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, Idaho, Washington, Montana and Kansas Cattlemen’s Associations.
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Moderator: Max Armstrong
Director of Broadcasting, Farm Progress Companies
Max Armstrong is one of the most widely recognized and highly regarded agriculture journalists in America. His broadcasts have been seen and heard by millions of farmers, ranchers and consumers for more than 30 years. Armstrong is Director of Broadcasting for Farm Progress Companies and is co-host of This Week In AgriBusiness seen on RFD-TV.
Armstrong also helps host a weekly hour-long agriculture program on Chicago broadcast powerhouse WGN Radio.
Panelist: Malcolm DeKryger
Indiana pork producer and Vice President, Belstra Milling Co.
Malcolm DeKryger is vice president and part owner of Belstra Milling Co., Inc. He oversees swine production and management at Belstra Milling in Northern Indiana. The Belstra farms maintain replacement gilts for 30,000 sows of commercial production in North Carolina, Michigan, Illinois, Ohio, and Indiana.
DeKryger is a member of the Indiana Pork Board of Directors and the National Pork Producers Council Animal Health and Food Security Policy Committee. In 2008, he received the Purdue Distinguished Alumni Award.
He holds a Master of Sciene in Animal Science from Purdue University, and a BS in Biology from Calvin College.
Panelist: Gary Corbett
CEO, Fair Oaks Farm
In this capacity- develop FOF’s overall strategic direction and plans, responsible for providing strategic and tactical leadership for attaining sales revenue, profit and service objectives. Identify and secure additional business opportunities, manage and evaluate senior team members, utilize dairy industry experience to launch, market, and sell Fair Oaks Farms dairy products.
2002-2003: V.P., Fluid Milk, Land O’Lakes
1988-2002: Held various titles and responsibilities with Dean Foods including; Asst. to the President, V.P. S.W. Region, V.P. Procurement, Corporate Officer
1986-1988: V.P. Procurement, Swiss Valley Farms
Panelist: Dr. Wendy Wintersteen
Dean, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Iowa State University, Director, Iowa Agriculture and Home Economics Experience Station
Dr. Wendy Wintersteen is dean of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Iowa State University and director of the Iowa Agriculture and Home Economics Experiment Station. Wintersteen is the tenth dean of agriculture in Iowa State’s 153-year history. She also is the holder of the first endowed deanship established at Iowa State University.
Prior to becoming dean in 2006, she served as the college’s senior associate dean and associate director of the Experiment Station.
Her career at Iowa State spans more than 30 years. She has served as professor of entomology, director of Extension to Agriculture and Natural Resources, coordinator of pesticide management and pesticide applicator training programs, and extension associate in entomology and in two extension area offices around the state of Iowa.
Wintersteen earned a bachelor’s of science degree in agriculture from Kansas State University and her Ph.D. in entomology from Iowa State University.
Dr. Wintersteen represents Iowa State University on many boards of agricultural organizations in Iowa, the Midwest and around the country. Currently she is on the board of trustees of the Farm Foundation. She is a past chair of the Administrative Heads Section of APLU’s Board on Agriculture Assembly. In 2007, she was honored as a Kansas State University Alumni Fellow for professional accomplishments and distinguished service.
Panelist: Phil Bradshaw
Illinois soybean, corn and hog producer, former chairman, United Soybean Board and vice chairman, USFRA
Phil Bradshaw is the vice chairman of the United States Farmers and Ranchers Alliance. Phil has a general livestock and grain farm in Griggsville, Ill., where he raises corn, soybeans, wheat and pigs.
Bradshaw is the immediate past chairman for the United Soybean Board, World Initiative for Soy in Human Health and the World Soy Foundation. He also serves QUALISOY and the U.S. Soybean Export Council. He also serves on the USDA secretary of agriculture's advisory committee on foreign animal disease. Through his work with the United Soybean Board, he has gained recognition for publicizing the value of soybeans as a protein source, worldwide, and also for the vital role livestock plays.
He holds a B.S. in Agriculture Education from Western Illinois University.
Panelist: Casie Conley
state president, Indiana FFA Organization
Casie Conley, 18, is currently serving as the 2011-2012 Indiana FFA State President. During her year of service, she will travel the state of Indiana promoting agricultural education and the FFA.
Over her four years of membership, Conley was active on many levels. She served as Chapter Parliamentarian, Secretary, and President. She attended state conventions at Purdue University and also national convention all four years. She also attended FIRE, LDW, 212 conferences and the Washington Leadership Conference in 2009.
Conley has been active in many career development events from area livestock judging to soils evaluation. Likewise, she participated in the Agricultural Communications CDE where her team advanced from district then won 1st place at the state level. Later the team was honored with a bronze award at nationals.
In her school, home and community, Conley was the president of her class for four years, treasurer of the National Honor Society, and vice president of the history club. She was also in the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Student Council, Freshman Mentors and the Spanish Club. She was a four-year member of the varsity cheerleading squad and a two-year member of the varsity track team. She was also involved in 4-H where she was president of her local chapter for three years and president of the Junior Leaders of the county.
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