AgGrad Podcast

Promoting Agriculture on Capitol Hill

Riley Pagett’s position has been newly created with the signing in of the 2018 Farm Bill. Formerly working for the National FFA office, Riley is now the Chief of Staff for the Office of Partnerships and Public Engagement for the United States Department of Agriculture on Capitol Hill. Covering a broad spectrum of topics, Riley shares how law school, always saying “yes,” and working hard has allowed him to find success in promoting and sharing the story of agriculture to a group of individuals that may not understand the agricultural world that we live in. 

Read the full article at https://aggrad.com/category/video/

A member of the agriculture industry for only two years, Jonathan Hua started and failed two businesses before going back to business school with a focus on Capitalist Venture. There he realized he wanted to be an investor in the Silicon Valley but, unsure of how to get his foot in the door, he took a position for a non-profit consultation program. There they tasked him with the project of building an ag tech conference and, in doing so, he became the master of event management and event networking. Through the process of that internship, he fell in love with the agricultural industry and has led to his new position as the Thrive Accelerator Manager for SVG Ventures.

Throughout internships and explored career paths, Jessica Kueffer wasn’t sure what exactly set her passions on fire when it came to a career. A common denominator was facilitation of trainings and mentorships, which led to a career recommendation by her mentor to a position that was not only her dream job, but one that she didn’t even know existed prior to the recommendation. As the recruitment and employee development manager for MFA Incorporated, an agricultural cooperative in her home state of Missouri, it was the perfect fit and she has enjoyed the challenges, growth and leadership roles it has given her.

Read the full article at https://aggrad.com/category/video/

Levi Hall spends his time understanding the different challenges of not only the grain industry, but also of running a business across state lines. As the General Manager of Beach Cooperative Grain Company, Levi finds himself split over the state lines of Montana and North Dakota, while also being close to the southern border of Canada. As a young manager, his role includes a variety of tasks, as well as managing multiple employees and cooperative members. Read the full article at www.aggrad.com.

TEDX and SXSW speaker Reagan Pugh joins us today to share his insight on corporate culture, motivation and identity. In 2016, he was a cofounder of Assemble, a consulting firm in Austin, Texas.

Reagan explains generational gaps in finding your own personal identity and how the modern-day relationship with work has led to it consuming our identity. Unfortunately, this is often detrimental, leads to burn out and fosters and environment of stress and fear rather than pride and accomplishment. Also, how will millennials communicate effectively and appeal to baby boomers when their communication styles are drastically different?

Reagan emphasizes the shift to community building being a focus in the workplace to allow employees to develop relationships within an organization and establish an identity that leads to better productivity and quality of life. 

“What I found is the goal has to be where are we finding our identity, where are we finding the value of who we are and what are the stories that we’re telling about ourselves on the inside.” -Reagan Pugh

When faced with the challenging decision of whether or not to take a semester of student teaching as a part of his agricultural education degree, Steven Brockshus found himself deciding to instead focus on his agricultural start up. Constant journaling and notetaking throughout his childhood and in traveling the country as a national FFA officer, he found that there was a strong need for assistance and data in buying, selling, and valuing ag real estate - a void he thought he could fill with the use of technology.

He was right and Farmland Finder was created - a real estate tech player, it leverages data and technology to make the process of buying and selling farm land simple. Read the full article at https://aggrad.com/stephen-brockshus/

Imagine getting to work at the forefront of strategy in combating those groups set against the animal agriculture industry - utilizing marketing, communications, speaking engagements, political legislation, industry specific groups and more to ensure that those on farms and ranches can continue raising their animals. Welcome to the world of Allyson Jones-Brimmer - an FFA alumni whose love of animals has led her to her position as the Director of Industry Relations for the Animal Agriculture Alliance! 

Read the full article at https://aggrad.com/category/video/

In a world where sustainable agriculture must be at the forefront of marketing, production, and business for farmers and ranchers, it takes individuals like Mackenzie Dierks to help them document, manage, strategize and protect their business. Mackenzie is a Senior Associate at K Coe Isom, an agriculture business advising firm historically focused on accounting and tax, whose mission also includes the sustainability of businesses. Read the full article at aggrad.com.

Everyday there are fires that have to be put out, but these are the tasks John Farmer tackles as Chief of Staff at Clara Foods. A strong interest and passion in biosecurity and food security, John has been involved with a variety of careers that have moved him further and further into the unique world of sustainable and alternative agriculture. Using strains of yeast to reproduce animal proteins of interest and selling them worldwide to a variety of companies, it’s no surprise that this may be one of the more unique and science-based careers in agriculture.

Read the full article at www.aggrad.com.

Despite his friends thinking that all he does is go for coffee, lunches and dinners, Caleb Wright’s active role in social networking is actually a part of his job in public policy at both the state and federal level of the Pennsylvania Legislature. As Chief Operating Officer (COO) for Versant Strategies, Caleb wears multiple hats of social networking, analytical policy reading, strategic consulting, and organizing operating systems for business. One thing is for sure, though, he definitely loves his job!

Read the full article at aggrad.com.