Sep 21, 2022

40 Under 40 Class of 2022 announced by VGN, FGN

Vegetable Growers News and Fruit Growers News magazines have announced the Fruit + Vegetable 40 Under 40 class of 2022 – a group of exceptional agriculture professionals nominated by their peers for the impressive accomplishments of their young careers.

The class of 2022 will be honored during the Great Lakes Fruit, Vegetable and Farm Market EXPO on Tuesday, December 6th from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m at the Amway Grand in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The celebration will be held in the back of the exhibit hall. In addition, the class will be featured in both October 2022 issues.

Launched in 2017, the 40 Under 40 Awards represent industry professionals, from growers and farm market operators, to Extension agents and industry suppliers. Each young professional has already left a substantial impact on their individual businesses and the specialty agriculture industry.

“This year’s Fruit + Vegetable 40 Under 40 Class of 2022 is full of talented innovators in the fruit and vegetable industry,” said Matt McCallum, Specialty Ag Group Publisher and CEO. “We are proud to recognize them and their accomplishments and are looking forward to seeing how they continue to make an impact on the industry.”

The members of the 40 Under 40 Class of 2022 are:

1. Ryan Amberg, general manager, FELCO North America
2. William Augustine, president/co-owner, American Dream Produce
3. Amy Birk, winemaker, Domaine Berrien Cellars 
4. Rob Bodtke, harvest manager, Cornerstone Ag Enterprises
5. Nathan Clarke, partner/owner, Clarke Farms
6. Misty DeBoer, operations manager, Great Lakes Agricultural Labor Services 
7. Ryan Dietrich, owner, Ridgeview Orchards
8. Laurel Dunn, assistant professor and Extension specialist, University of Georgia
9. Macarena Farcuh, assistant professor, University of Maryland
10. Jennifer Glenister, owner, New Morning Farm
11. Charles Gray, field manager, 4Corners Farm
12. Aries Haygood, owner/operator, A&M Farms
13. Zachary Heiken, owner/operator, Heiken Farms
14. Caleb Herrygers, operations manager, Herrygers Farms
15. Laura Herrygers, marketing specialist and account manager, Great Lakes Agricultural Labor Services
16. Kaitlin Horst, co-owner, Re-DiVined
17. Juliette King-McAvoy, vice president of sales and marketing, King Orchards
18. Tom Kon, assistant professor, North Carolina State University
19. Hailee Leitz, Farm Office Manager and Food Safety Coordinator, Leitz Farms LLC
20. Syrah Linsley, project manager, Old Orchard Brands
21. Marisol Magaña-Ibarra, field research specialist, Naturipe Berry Growers
22. Nathan & Chelsea McGuire, managers, Royal Farms Farm Market & Winery
23. Kyle Mead, MAEAP technician, Van Buren (Michigan) Conservation District
24. Megan Muehlbauer, agriculture and natural resources county agent, Rutgers University Cooperative Extension of Hunterdon County
25. Rachel Naegele, research geneticist, USDA ARS
26. Jerred Nix, vice president, Flavor Full Farms
27. Marcus Nolt, purchasing manager, Nolt’s Produce Supplies 
28. Danielle Oomen, certified crop advisor, crop consultant, Helena Agri-Enterprises
29. Kyle Rasch, manager, Windy Ridge Orchards
30. Justin Shealey, Extension agriculture and natural resources agent, University of Georgia
31. Chris Tyson, superintendent and area onion agent, University of Georgia Vidalia Onion and Vegetable Research Center
32. Adam Van Dyk, owner/manager, Van Dyk Farms
33. Selena Virden, vice president of global seed production, Illinois Foundation Seeds
34. Jacob Wafler, nursery manager, Wafler Nursery
35. Zheng Wang, vegetable crops and irrigation advisor, University of California Cooperative Extension 
36. Jacob Williams, agriculture and natural resource Extension agent, University of Georgia
37. Ryan Wysocki, certified crop advisor, Endeavor Ag and Energy 
38. Karl Wyant, director of agronomy, Nutrien
39. Kylee Zdunic-Rasch, crop insurance agent, Newaygo Insurance Company 
40. Anne Zwink, CEO and winemaker, Soldier Creek Winery 

The 2022 Fruit + Vegetable 40 Under 40 Awards are sponsored by AgBiome, Miller Chemical and Stokes Seeds. For additional information about each member of the Class of 2022, visit https://fruitgrowersnews.com/40under40 or https://vegetablegrowersnews.com/40under40.

Nominations for the Class of 2023 will be available online, at www.fruitgrowersnews.com and www.vegetable growers news.com, beginning in December with a nomination deadline of March 15, 2023.