- Land O’Lakes, Inc. recently announced a number of changes to the senior leadership team reporting to Land O’Lakes President and Chief Executive Officer Chris Policinski. JP Ruiz-Funes joined Land O’Lakes, effective Jan. 7 as senior vice president, Corporate Strategy and Business Development. Barry Wolfish has moved from his previous position in Corporate Strategy and Business Development to create the new role of senior vice president, Corporate Marketing Strategy. Mike Vandelogt replaced Dave Seehusen as executive vice president and chief operating officer, Winfield Solutions Seed Division. Dave Seehusen has moved to executive vice president, Land O’Lakes Ag Business Development and Member Services.
- Monsanto announced that it is working with glufosinate-tolerant traits in its cotton technology programs. The company’s work with glufosinate-tolerant traits paves the way for the development of the industry’s first three-way stack of herbicide-tolerant technologies across its cotton business including Roundup Ready Flex, Dicamba-tolerance and Glufosinate tolerance. The glufosinate trait is under license from Bayer CropScience and reflects the company’s multi-partner stacking strategy. The USDA estimates that more than 80 percent of the cotton acres planted in 2007 included the Roundup Ready or Roundup Ready Flex traits.
- Steve Murphy, the chief executive officer of the National Pork Board since 2001, has submitted his resignation to the board. A short list of some of the National Pork Board’s successes under Murphy’s leadership includes: Getting the organization to embrace anticipatory issues management; protecting the future of one of the most successful brands in the country – Pork. The Other White Meat; reconnecting producers with the idea of working together through shared contributions and shared vision to accomplish goals they could not achieve alone; developing a staff that is accountable to both producers and to sound business principles. Murphy will continue until the board can find a successor.
