Dan Basse, president of AgResource Company, has been elected chair of the Farm Foundation Board of Directors, according to a release. Basse, who will serve a two-year term, succeeding Jerome Lyman, a retired executive of McDonald’s Corporation.
“It is an exciting time for Farm Foundation as we celebrate our 90th Anniversary and look to accelerate our mission with the construction of an Innovation and Education Center on our recently purchased farm in Libertyville, Illinois,” says Basse.
Basse says he will be working closely with Farm Foundation CEO Shari Rogge-Fidler on issues such as ideas in soil health and sustainability, farmer health, digital agriculture, and market access for U.S. farmers.
Cheri De Jong of Dalhart, Texas, principal owner of Natural Prairie Dairy and owner and CFO of AgriVision Farm Management, was elected vice chair of the 29-member board. Andrew LaVigne of Alexandria, Virginia, president and CEO of the American Seed Trade Association, was elected treasurer. The election took place at the board’s June meeting.
Six New Board Directors Elected
Six new members have been elected to the board: Former United States Secretary of Agriculture Mike Johanns; Former United States Deputy Secretary of Agriculture Jewel Bronaugh; Michael Doane, global managing director, food and freshwater systems, The Nature Conservancy; James (Jimmy) Kinder, co-owner/operator, Kinder Farms; Cristina Rohr, managing director, food and agriculture, S2G Ventures; and Todd Van Hoose, president and CEO, Farm Credit Council.
