Chad Hertiz, AFM

Chad Hertz, AFM

Chief Operating Officer, Hertz Farm Management, Inc.

Chad is the third generation of accredited farm managers in the Hertz family. During his 25 plus years at Hertz Farm Management, he served as a professional farm manager and licensed real estate agent, advised ag technology and precision agriculture, and leads the information technology team.

Chad is an active member of several professional and local organizations including the American Society of Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers (ASFMRA). He is a past president of the Iowa Chapter of the ASFMRA and winner of the ASFMRA Early Career Award. Today Chad serves on the Non-Operating Landowner working group with 4R plus, an Iowa organization promoting conservation and soil health efforts with farmland owners and operators.

Chad graduated from the University of Illinois College of Agriculture with a degree in Agronomy earning Highest Honors. He earned a Master of Science degree in Ag Economics at the University of Illinois as well, specializing in production economics and precision agriculture.

Brian Lutz

Vice President, Agricultural Solutions, Corteva Agriscience

Brian Lutz leads the Farming Solutions & Digital sub-function within the Research & Development organization for Corteva Agriscience. In his role, Brian is responsible for the development of digital solutions that support the R&D pipeline and enable Corteva’s business. He also serves as a member of the R&D Leadership team. Brian joined Corteva in 2021 in the Portfolio Strategy Program Management role and continues to contribute to the company’s long-term strategic planning.

Prior to starting at Corteva, Brian was Chief Science Officer at The Climate Corporation, and was also a member of Bayer Crop Science’s R&D Leadership Team. Before joining industry, he had an academic career focused on studying soil carbon and nutrient dynamics and has an extensive amount of experience working at the science-policy interface on topics associated with global environmental change.

Brian was raised on a fourth-generation corn and soybean farm in Ohio and remains closely connected to his family’s farming operation. Brian earned his undergraduate degree in Biology from the College of Wooster and his Ph.D. in Biogeochemistry from Duke University. He also holds certificates from Northwestern University in executive education and business management.

Ben Sloan

Vice President of Strategy and Product, Ever.Ag

Ben Sloan is Vice President of Strategy and Product for Ever.Ag. He is responsible for the design, development, and deployment of FieldAlytics. Prior to his role at Ever.Ag, Ben led the development of first of its kind tools at AgSolver connecting farm profitability with environmental performance. Ben holds Masters and Bachelor’s Degrees in Mechanical Engineering from Iowa State University.

Walt Duflock

Senior Vice President, Innovation, Western Growers

Walt Duflock is a partner at a 5th generation family farming operation in Monterey County that grows specialty crops, wine grapes, and cattle. Walt has 30 years of experience at Silicon Valley tech startups with sales and marketing executive roles at eBay and 3 others that were acquired. Walt helped build THRIVE into the #1 AgriFoodTech Accelerator and is currently the VP of Innovation at Western Growers.

HOME

AGENDA

Larkin Martin

Owner, Albemarle Corp/Martin Farm

V. Larkin Martin manages Martin Farm, a family farm in Courtland, Alabama. The farm operates on owned and rented land. Their primary crops are corn, cotton, soybeans and wheat. She is also Chairman of the Board of Servico, a cotton ginning and agricultural services business located in Courtland, Director of the American Farmland Trust and a Director of Red Sea Ag, an agriculture technology company focused on heat resilience. In addition to her farming responsibilities, Ms. Martin holds and has held a number of positions off of the farm. She is a Director of The Soil Health Institute based in Cary, NC. Current non-farm responsibilities include serving as a of Director of Rayonier Inc. (RYN) a timberland REIT based in Jacksonville, FL and Truxton Trust, a private bank and trust company in Nashville, TN.

A partial list of past responsibilities includes serving as a Director and past Chairman of The Farm Foundation, a non-partisan accelerator of practical solutions for agriculture based in Chicago, a Director and past Chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, a Director and past Chairman of The Public Affairs Council of Alabama, a Director and past Chairman of The Cotton Board, the national check-off program for cotton, a Director of Africa Harvest, an NGO based in Kenya that helps to bring innovative agricultural technologies to smallholder farmers in Africa, Director of The Alabama Chapter of The Nature Conservancy and a Director of Leadership Alabama. Ms. was named an Eisenhower Agricultural Fellow in 2012.

After graduating from Vanderbilt and prior to returning to the farm Ms. Martin lived in Washington, DC and held jobs in at the US Treasury Department and with Arthur Andersen. She is married to John Thornton and they have 4 children.

HOME

AGENDA

Joe Waina

Senior Innovation Principal, Verizon

Joe Waina is an Industry 4.0 evangelist focused on powering successful strategies for digitally connected manufacturing enterprises. He advises manufacturing organizations on technology trends, strategic manufacturing architecture, open technology stack options, and best practices and provides thought leadership to develop above-the-network value frameworks which support the convergence of data and application visibility across IT and OT infrastructures. As a Senior Innovation Principal at Verizon on the advanced manufacturing vertical team, he works with some of the world’s most advanced products helping leading manufacturers understand how the power of private wireless spectrum improves operational efficiencies, drives cost reductions, creates visibility of all data from Top Floor to Shop Floor through the implementation of advanced technologies in the area of big data, data analytics, business intelligence IoT, I-IoT, AI, and ML.

HOME

AGENDA

Aman Anand

Digital and Agronomic Collaboration, Nutrien

Aman Anand is an experienced product strategist and certified professional agronomist (CPA) with over 12 years of a career spanning Fortune 100 companies, non-profits, and agriculture technology, inclusive of a decade at America’s largest farmer-owned cooperative (CHS Inc) in different roles ranging from lead agronomist to product development, data analysis, and strategy. Aman is dedicated to building a system that delivers sustainable food, clean water, and low-carbon energy to society. Aman founded the climate-tech startup “Actagra” with a mission to build a credible carbon accounting system and climate solutions to pair profitability and sustainability for a better planet.

HOME

AGENDA

Jennifer Goldston

Founder and CEO, AgTech PR

Jennifer established AgTech PR in 2019 following a 25-year career in public affairs, marketing and communications. Current clients span the agriculture and food system – with innovations ranging from biologicals, robotics to data solutions. Previously, Jennifer served in executive communication roles at Campbell Soup Company, DuPont Pioneer, Fleishman-Hillard and Ocean Spray Cranberries. She also served as DuPont’s Food & Agriculture Division communications lead to build DuPont’s reputation as a thought leader in global food security – the program earned two PRSA Silver Anvils and Best in Show. Jennifer has a Master of Science in Integrated Marketing Communication from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism and Kellogg School of Business, and a bachelor’s degree in communications from Washington State University’s Edward R. Murrow School of Journalism.

HOME

AGENDA

Kenneth Scott Zuckerberg

Director of Global Research, CHS Hedging, LLC.

Kenneth Scott Zuckerberg serves as the Director of Global Research within CHS Hedging, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of CHS, Inc.

Prior to joining CHS in December 2023, Ken spent four years at CoBank ACB, as the lead analyst and research strategist for grains, farm supply, biofuel and ag-technology. He brings more than 35 years of industry and institutional investment management research experience with leading banking and investment research firms in New York, including Rabobank, Carlan Advisors, Lazard Asset Management, Keefe Bruyette & Woods, and Smith Barney, Inc. Ken earned a Bachelor of Science degree in finance from the University of South Florida, is a graduate of the Wharton Business School General Management Program, and is an Accredited Investment Fiduciary (AIF). A life-long learner, he is currently pursuing a Master in Law degree from the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School.

HOME

AGENDA

Vonnie Estes

VP of Innovation, International Fresh Produce Association

Vonnie has dedicated her career to driving value from emerging technologies in the food supply chain. With a rich background in technology leadership at major firms such as DuPont, Monsanto, and Syngenta, she excels in connecting technology innovators with producers. In her current role as VP of Innovation at the International Fresh Produce Association Vonnie leads initiatives to infuse technology throughout the produce industry’s supply chain, addressing critical needs. She hosts the thought-provoking podcast “Fresh Takes on Tech,” exploring solutions to pressing needs.

Additionally, she spearheads the Fresh Field Catalyst Accelerator, introducing new technologies to the industry. As the chair of the CEA Council, Vonnie plays a pivotal role in uniting the industry on key issues. Recognized as a leader in her field, she was honored with the Rosalind Franklin Award for Leadership in Industrial Biotechnology. Vonnie is a sought-after speaker and is extensively published. She extends her influence by serving on company, advisory, and government boards, showcasing her commitment to advancing the intersection of technology and agriculture.