Students Selected For 2025 Gateway to Ag Careers Program
AgGateway’s Gateway to Ag Careers program, sponsored by the AgCIO Roundtable, with additional support from Syngenta, has selected six students to participate in the program this year.
“We’re excited to be hosting these exceptional students at the 2025 Annual Meeting and Conference,” says Brent Kemp, AgGateway President and CEO. “Interest in the program has continued to grow over the years, and participants bring a wide range of interests and disciplines to the program.”
The selected students will attend the annual meeting November 3-5 and be able to engage with attendees, sit in on educational sessions, and learn more about the many career opportunities that agriculture has to offer.
The following students will be participating in the 2025 Gateway to Ag Careers program:
· Omar Abdelmawgoud, Arizona State University
· Tristan Cravens, Illinois State University
· Jenna Kirkland, Arizona State University
· Emma Koger, Mississippi State University
· William Leiva-Mercaod, Iowa State University
· Patton Simbeck, Mississippi State University
“The AgCIO Roundtable is pleased to sponsor the Gateway to Ag Careers program annually to give exceptional students the opportunity to engage with agriculture professionals and learn about the many possible careers in our industry,” says Jeroen Hoogendoorn, AgCIO Roundtable Chairperson. “We look forward to welcoming them to this year’s conference and to making it a beneficial experience.”
Registration is open for the upcoming AgGateway annual conference. Learn more about what is happening this year in this interview with President and CEO Brent Kemp:
Interview with Brent Kemp, President/CEO, AgGateway
Agtonomy Accelerates Global Expansion
Agriculture software and services company Agtonomy, today announced its expansion in the United States with new deployments in the Southeast and its first international commercial operation in Australia.
Agtonomy’s latest expansion marks a pivotal moment for agricultural automation, with the company making its commercial debut in Australia. This initiative introduces an advanced physical AI platform to Australian growers, empowering them to meet growing labor and productivity challenges with scalable, autonomous solutions tailor-made for specialty and permanent crops. Simultaneously, Agtonomy’s rollout in the southeastern U.S. broadens access to Agtonomy-enabled equipment across key specialty crop and green space sectors, providing producers and land managers on both coasts with practical, field-proven automation.
To reinforce its trajectory for rapid growth, Agtonomy also announced the appointment of Michael Abbott, renowned technology executive, to its Board of Directors. “Agtonomy is building something truly transformative bringing physical AI to industrial markets that are desperate for more automation to make ends meet,” said Abbott. “I’m excited to join the board at such a pivotal moment in the company’s journey and to support a team that combines deep industry knowledge with the technical expertise needed to bring automation into the field in a practical, scalable way.”Abbott most recently served as GM’s Executive Vice President of Software and Services, overseeing key programs for Software-Defined Vehicles, OnStar, and autonomous driving. His prior experience includes leading Apple’s Cloud Services and holding senior roles at Twitter, Palm, and Microsoft. Abbott’s deep cloud infrastructure and enterprise platform expertise complement Agtonomy’s vision for scaling physical AI across agricultural and land management markets.
“At Agtonomy, we know firsthand that practical experience in both farming and automation gives us a real edge,” said Tim Bucher, founder and CEO of Agtonomy. “We’ve thoughtfully built an executive team with the experience and focus to take us from innovation to real-world impact. Our team brings field-proven know-how from Silicon Valley, global ag OEMs, and specialty crop production. The result isn’t another flashy demo—it’s automation that growers can trust, use, and depend on, right now. Plus, Michael’s addition to our board further strengthens our ability to navigate the road ahead.”
For more information about Agtonomy’s leadership team and mission, visit www.agtonomy.com.
Industry Ag News 10/17
Precision Ag News 10/15
Fusionware Expands Team to Support Produce Industry
Fusionware, the leading cloud-based Digital Operations platform for the fresh produce industry, has responded to record growth and innovation over the past year by announcing several key hires to continue expansion and serve the operational needs of produce growers, packers, and shippers.
“As we scale, it’s essential to bring in industry leaders who understand both agriculture and technology. These new team members are helping us deliver even greater value to our customers through expertise, innovation, and world-class support,” said Fusionware founder Creg Fielding.
Abe Vanegas has been retained as Director of Implementations, bringing extensive experience in agriculture and ERP implementation to Fusionware, along with a deep connection to the farming community. He has led large-scale ERP deployments and digital transformation projects across major produce operations. His background includes leadership roles with Famous Software, GrubMarket, and his own consulting firm specializing in produce software solutions. At Fusionware, Abe oversees implementation strategy and execution, ensuring customers experience a seamless transition and measurable operational improvements. As Senior Manager of Sales Engineering, Bryce Jones comes to Fusionware with a proven track record in agriculture and ag technology, including experience spanning ag retail operations, precision agriculture, and enterprise software solutions. Starting his career in ag retail led him into the software sector to deliver enterprise solutions across sales, implementation, and professional services.Additionally, Michael Wright joins Fusionware as Business Intelligence & Data Analytics Architect with over a decade of experience in data science and business intelligence development, and Brittney McKenna as Software Engineer brings more than a decade of experience, including seven years focused specifically on agriculture software.
Animal Ag News 10/15
Alltech Breaks Ground on Kentucky Biofertilizer Facility
Located on the campus of Alltech’s global headquarters, the facility will be the company’s first U.S. manufacturing plant dedicated solely to producing crop science technologies. Modeled after Alltech Crop Science (ACS) facilities in Brazil and Spain, the Kentucky site will produce more than 66,000 gallons of biological fertilizers per shift per month and create at least six new full-time jobs. It will also manufacture more than 30 natural products designed to help farmers enhance soil and crop vitality.
The project is supported by a $2.34 million grant from the USDA Fertilizer Production Expansion Program (FPEP). The $500 million FPEP initiative, launched in 2022 in response to supply chain disruptions and rising fertilizer prices, aims to expand the production, availability and affordability of domestic fertilizer and nutrient alternatives and reduce reliance on imported synthetic fertilizers.
ACS vice president and project leader Dr. Steve Borst says the facility represents the next phase for Alltech in scaling biological innovations for agriculture. “By expanding production here in Kentucky, we can bring farmers natural, science-based solutions that improve soil health, strengthen crops and reduce reliance on synthetic fertilizers. We’re grateful to the USDA and to our state and local partners for their support in making this vision a reality.”
The project also aligns with Alltech’s purpose of “Working Together for a Planet of Plenty®,” with the goals of creating science-based solutions for nutrition, revitalizing local economies and replenishing the planet’s natural resources. “Fermentation has always been at the heart of our business, and this facility allows us to apply that expertise in new ways to support crop health, productivity and sustainability,” said Dr. Mark Lyons, president and CEO of Alltech.
Industry Ag News 10/13
Syngenta Biologicals are Booming
Syngenta continues to grow its biologicals business to meet the increased demand for biocontrols, biostimulants and nutrient efficiency products around the world. Just this year, Syngenta Biologicals entered into several strategic collaborations to accelerate product development this year and opened a new facility in Orangeburg, South Carolina to produce 16,000 tons of biostimulants annually.
“Syngenta Biologicals builds upon the track record of success that Syngenta has had for a long time in developing products,” said Seedcare and Biologicals Product Lead at Syngenta Joe Ben Bogle at the 2025 Farm Progress Show. “A lot of people describe the biological marketplace as fragmented with lots of companies in it, and a lot of noise, and I hear customers say that they have a different biological company in there every week to pitch them on a product. Syngenta is a company that puts a scientific process, research and testing behind all of our products. And so I hope that gives customers more assurance when they’re working with Syngenta versus a lot of the other companies in the marketplace.”
In this interview, Bogle talks about two Syngenta Biologicals products – Boosten, which supports crop resilience under stress, and YieldON, which helps plants push more sugar and starch into seed to increase yield.
FPS25 Interview with Joe Ben Bogle, Syngenta Seedcare (5:15)






