Alltech Announces New U.S. Leadership Team
Global animal health and nutrition leader Alltech this week announced new leadership roles within its U.S. specialty ingredients business designed to strengthen Alltech’s ability to serve its customers in an evolving marketplace.
At the helm of the Alltech U.S. leadership team is Andy Rash, vice president (U.S.), specialty ingredients. Rash has a strong background in the ag industry, with more than 20+ years of experience, during which he has navigated the complexity in today’s agriculture value chain, particularly in protein production. He has steered many leadership teams in agriculture across diverse segments, including animal nutrition & health, international business development, and agronomy and grain.
Joining Rash on the leadership team are:
Dr. Luke Miller, general manager, U.S. dairy: Prior to joining Alltech, Miller was the general manager for a 6,000-head, multi-site dairy in central California.
Laurentia van Rensburg, general manager, U.S. beef: With more than 15 years of experience in the livestock and animal science industries, van Rensburg has served in various roles in South Africa, the Netherlands, Latin America and North America.
Dr. Curtis Novak, general manager, U.S. poultry: Prior to joining Alltech, Dr. Novak served as a lead nutritionist and, eventually, as manager of commercial poultry field sales and technical services at Purina Animal Nutrition.
Mark Hulsebus, general manager, U.S. pork: With extensive experience in modern pork production, prior to joining Alltech, Hulsebus spent more than 20 years in senior roles at Cargill, most recently as the commercial director of pork in North America.
CJ Tanderup, general manager, national/regional mills and co-ops: Tanderup first joined Alltech as a regional sales representative in the Dakotas and has served in a variety of roles during his time with the company, including as an on-farm sales specialist. W
Jim Bannerman, director of national accounts: Bannerman brings more than 30 years of experience with Alltech, including leadership roles across diverse company portfolios, from feed to alcohol, as well as building the company’s national accounts portfolio.
ZimmCast 763 – The Presidents of ACN & LPC
Hello and welcome to the ZimmCast.
In this episode I’m going to talk with the new presidents of the AgComm Network and Livestock Publications Council. They took over those positions during the recent Ag Media Summit.
I’m going to start with Joel Reichenberger, Senior Editor, DTN, Progressive Farmer, new president of ACN. Then you’ll hear from Anne Kimmey, Founder/CEO, Cultivate Agency, Inc., the new president of LPC.
Listen to the episode here:
ZimmCast 763 - The Presidents of ACN & LPC (17:37)
That’s the ZimmCast for now. I hope you enjoyed it and thank for listening.
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Matt Caswell Joins VANE as VP of Strategic Relationships
VANEMatt Caswell has been named Vice President of Strategic Relationships for VANE, a leading provider of first-of-its kind field-level revenue insurance solutions for agribusinesses.
In this role, Caswell will lead VANE’s efforts to develop and manage strategic relationships with agricultural cooperatives, ag retailers, and other key partners across the agricultural value chain. He will work closely with industry leaders to identify opportunities where risk management solutions can help organizations protect revenue, differentiate their customer offerings, and drive business growth.
Caswell is an industry leader who brings more than two decades of executive leadership in agribusiness, stakeholder management, and corporate affairs to support VANE’s continued growth. Caswell spent more than a decade as Vice President of Member/Corporate Relations & Government Affairs at Ag Processing Inc. In 2020, Caswell was elected Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Agribusiness Association of Iowa, the largest state agribusiness association in the country. Previous roles included leadership responsibilities at Syngenta, BP, and the Iowa Soybean Association. Caswell is a graduate of Drake University Law School and resides with his wife and two children in Omaha, NE.
With VANE, Caswell will help expand adoption of weather-related revenue insurance solutions among cooperatives, ag retailers, and other agribusiness partners seeking innovative approaches to risk management and business growth.
Agri-Pulse Webinar: Data Centers in Rural America
Rural America is rapidly becoming the next frontier for digital infrastructure, and the scale of the transformation is without modern precedent. According to a Pew Research Center analysis released in April 2026, 67% of the approximately 1,500 data center facilities now in various stages of development are planned for rural locations and 39% percent of planned projects are targeting counties that currently have no data center.
Agri-Pulse is holding a webinar on August 27 to discuss why data centers are growing across rural America and what the potential impacts are on jobs, infrastructure, water demands and energy usage. Speakers include Microsoft Senior Fellow Mary Snapp, National Rural Electric Cooperative Association CEO Jim Matheson, and Bernt Nelson, American Farm Bureau Federation Economist.
“This is a critically important moment which deserves both discussion and debate about what data centers will mean for rural America,” said Agri-Pulse Founder Sara Wyant. “We plan to provide a clear-eyed assessment of data center development, which requires acknowledging the real costs alongside the benefits.”
The webinar will be held at noon central time, August 27, and is free for current Agri-Pulse subscribers, $79 for non-subscribers. Click here for registration and more information.
Granville Gold: Mock Tobacco Auction
The Granville County Historical Society & Museum invites the public to step back in time and experience the sights, sounds, and vibrant history of North Carolina’s agricultural heartland at “Granville Gold: Mock Tobacco Auction.” This special farm heritage and community celebration takes place on Sunday, September 27th, from 2:00 PM to 6:00 PM at the historic Oxford Tobacco Research Station, located at 300 Providence Road in Oxford.
Serving as both an educational community gathering and a vital fundraiser for the Granville County Historical Society & Museum, “Granville Gold” honors the rich legacy of flue-cured tobacco farming—a culture that defined community life, commerce, and family traditions in Granville County for generations. The event offers locals and visitors alike a unique opportunity to immerse themselves in authentic agricultural history, whether for nostalgic connection, family gathering, or first-time discovery.
The centerpiece of the afternoon will take place inside the historic Oxford Tobacco Research Station pack house. Every hour on the hour, attendees can witness an authentic, 15-minute mock tobacco auction conducted over twelve (12) piles of tobacco leaf. The high-energy chant of the auctioneer and the traditional leaf grading process will recreate the electric atmosphere that once filled local warehouse floors every autumn across the many Golden Leaf belts.
Distinguished guest speakers for the event include North Carolina Commissioner of Agriculture Steve Troxler, acclaimed tobacco historian and author Billy Yeargin, and Master of Ceremonies Mark Pace. In addition to inspiring remarks from agricultural leadership, the pack house will host a dedicated Granville County Historical Society exhibit detailing the region’s deep farming roots and historic artifacts.
For more information about “Granville Gold: Mock Tobacco Auction” or to support the Granville County Historical Society & Museum, please visit www.granvillehistory.org or call (919) 693-9701.
Senate Ag Committee Stalls on Farm Bill
Senate Ag Committee farm bill markup meeting
“We’re holding hostage the people that were charged to help,” said Committee Chairman Chairman John Boozman (R-AR). “This is not about SNAP recipients. This is about the states with very, very high error rates. We’re holding hostage our farm community. And when you take livestock out of it, this is one of the poorest industries right now in America. And it’s not just farmers and ranchers. It’s rural America. And so we’re charged to help them. And right now we’re not able to do that because of this.”
Sen. Boozman chose to recess the committee rather than adjourn and come back in September to reconsider. Ranking member Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) issued a statement that she is committed to continuing to work with Chairman Boozman to get the bill done. “There are good things in it for our farmers and ranchers, including year-round E-15, a provision I have long led on,” said Klobuchar. “Our members are simply asking for the two-year delay (on the SNAP requirement) so all states will be on the same footing in working to reduce their error rates.”
Sen. Chuck Grassley expressed his frustration at the lack of bipartisanship on the agriculture committee. “I’ve been on the Agriculture Committee since way back 1992. During that time, I’ve participated in seven different five-year farm bills. All of them were very bipartisan. It’s a shame that Democrats will not join us in the bill this year,” said Grassley. Instead, the Democrats on the committee are using our farmers as a sacrificial lamb in an attempt to score political points.”
Agricultural organizations were unanimously disappointed in the failure of the committee to advance the farm bill.
“We urge senators to return to the table, work across party lines, and advance a farm bill out of committee in order to continue the negotiations toward a bipartisan farm bill that provides the long-term support and certainty our farmers, ranchers and rural communities need. The reality is that this might be our last chance this year to get it done. The stakes are too high to allow the opportunity to slip away,” said American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall.
Listen to comments from Boozman and Grassley below:
Senate ag farm bill markup - Boozman 1:45
Animal Ag News 8/6
BarnTools Defends Independently Developed Technology
Iowa-based BarnTools today defended its independently developed technology following patent infringement allegations involving its BinTalk and BinTalk Pro feed monitoring products.
“BarnTools respects intellectual property rights, and we believe these claims are without merit,” said Michael Hansen, CEO of BarnTools. “Our technology was independently developed, and we are confident the legal process will confirm our position.”
Since becoming aware of the allegations, BarnTools has obtained a written non-infringement opinion from nationally recognized patent counsel supporting its position. The company intends to vigorously defend itself through the appropriate legal process.
“Our customers depend on us to solve real operational problems, and that is where our focus remains,” Hansen said. “We are building practical technology that gives producers better visibility, helps them respond faster and moves animal agriculture toward a more connected and intelligent future. This lawsuit will not distract us from that work.”
BarnTools supports more than 11,000 growers across approximately 20,000 farms nationwide. Its connected hardware and software help livestock producers and integrators monitor feed, environmental conditions, water usage, equipment and biosecurity across their operations.
The complaint against BarnTools was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Iowa on July 2, 2026 by Canadian company BinSentry. BarnTools will have no further comment on specific legal arguments while the matter remains pending.
Agri-Pulse names Tammi Arender Anchor & Broadcaster
Agri-Pulse has named Tammi Arender Newsmakers anchor and broadcaster.
Agri-Pulse is pleased to announce the appointment of Tammi Arender as Newsmakers anchor and broadcaster, effective Aug. 4.
Arender will serve as anchor of the weekly Agri-Pulse Newsmakers program and lead Agri-Pulse’s video content strategy and reporting, including coverage from agricultural events across the country.
A veteran broadcaster with more than 30 years of television experience, Arender has served as a reporter for RFD-TV, the agriculture television network reaching more than 42 million homes. She has also worked as an anchor and reporter for television stations in Nashville, Tennessee; Baton Rouge, Louisiana; Little Rock, Arkansas; and Charleston, West Virginia.
“Tammi’s passion for agriculture and her depth of broadcasting experience make her an incredible addition to our team,” said Sarah Gonzalez, editor in chief of Agri‑Pulse. “With her leadership and acumen guiding Newsmakers and our video strategy, we’re poised to take our coverage to an exciting new level and deliver even more compelling stories to our audience.”