AgGrad Announces 30 Under 30 Class for 2020

Boise, Idaho (AgPR
) March 24, 2020 – 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 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!”

- Renée Vassilos, Director of Agriculture Innovation at The Nature Conservancy, and AgGrad 30 Under 30 Judge

AgGrad 30 Under 30 2020 Winners By Category Include:

1.   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

2.   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

3.   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

4.   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.

5.   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

6.   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.

For more information or to receive the AgGrad 30 Under 30 publication, visit 
30under30.ag