Jul 8, 2020Fruit Growers News, Vegetable Growers News name 40 Under 40 Class of 2020
Fruit Growers News and Vegetable Growers News magazines have announced the Fruit + Vegetable 40 Under 40 Class of 2020 – a group of exceptional agriculture professionals nominated by their peers for the impressive accomplishments of their young careers.
The Class of 2020 will be honored at the Great Lakes Fruit, Vegetable and Farm Market EXPO in Grand Rapids, Mich., on Tuesday, Dec. 8, and will be featured in the October 2020 issues of both publications.
Launched in 2017, the 40 Under 40 Awards represent a broad spectrum of industry professionals, from growers and farm market operators, to Extension agents and industry suppliers. The selected young professionals have already left a substantial impact on their individual businesses and the specialty agriculture industry.
“The Fruit + Vegetable 40 Under 40 Class of 2020 represents the future of our industry, and this year’s group demonstrates a strong foundation for leadership and innovation,” said Specialty Ag Group Publisher Gerry Bogdon. “In their young careers, these honorees are already making a positive impact that will be felt for generations to come.”
The 2020 honorees are:
- Drew Afton, Specialist, Agri Supplier Development, Nestle Gerber
- Nathan Bender, Chief Operating Officer, Tasteful Selections
- Kevin Bittner, Pomology Specialist, Bittner Singer Orchards
- Brett Blaauw, Assistant Professor and Extension Specialist, The University of Georgia and Clemson University
- Cory Blumerick, Senior Crop Insurance Specialist, GreenStone Farm Credit Service
- Hannah Burrack, Professor & Extension Specialist, North Carolina State University
- Dario Chavez, Assistant Professor, University of Georgia
- Susan Colucci, Technical Sales Representative II, HM Clause, Inc.
- Rob Glover, Farm Owner/Farmer, Rob Glover Farms, LLC
- Wenjing Guan, Clinical/Engagement Assistant Professor, Purdue University
- Charlie Hamilton, PCA, CCA, QAL, Graper Grower, Grow West, Inc. & Pressley Ranches, LLC
- Creela Hamlin, Co-owner, Lake Michigan Berry, LLC
- Trevor Hardy, Farm Supplies Manager, Systems Engineer & Assistant Crop Production Manage, Brookdale Fruit Farm Inc.
- Zachary Hayden, Assistant Professor of Horticulture, Michigan State University
- Shannon Higginbotham, Farmer, Cheyenne’s Road Market
- Benjamin Keim, Field Operations Manager, Keim Orchards
- Andrea Kirchoff, Operations Supervisor/Food Safety Specialist, Tim Campbell Farm, LLC
- Aaron Libby, Owner, Libby & Son U-Picks
- Amy Metrick, Farm Partner/4-H Extension Educator, Metrick’s Harvest View Farm & Market/Penn State Extension
- Kari Molter, Co-owner, Molter Produce
- Justin Morgan, Vice President, Dairy Doo
- Melissa Morlock, Co-owner, J.W. Morlock and Girls, LLC
- Nick Oomen, Owner, Oomen Brothers, Inc.
- Felipe Pacheco, Agricultural Specialist, Georgia Department of Labor
- Josh Pagura, Farmer/Operations Manager, Pagura Farms LLC/Slocum Farms LLC
- Emily Pochubay, Tree Fruit IPM Educator, Michigan State University
- John Price, Manager, Archlynn Farm
- Steve Rachut, Grower, Steve’s Sweet Corn and Produce/Kittleson Brothers
- Jordan Rasch, Orchard management, Green Tree Orchards
- Sarah Reel, Grower/Crop Consultant, Double R Farm & Reynolds Farm Equipment
- Don Seifrit, Extension Educator – Tree Fruit, Penn State Extension
- Darren Sinn, NW Business Management, Berry Fresh
- Ben Sklarczyk, CEO, COO, Sklarczyk Seed Farms
- Ben Smith, Executive Secretary and Farmer, Michigan State Horticulture Society
- Laurie Swanson, Assistant Operations Manager/Labor Coordinator, Great Lakes Ag Labor Services, LLC
- Nicolas Tipper, Director of Research and Development, Application Insight, LLC
- Ariana Torres, Assistant Professor, Purdue University
- Kyle Wafler, Operations, Wafler Nursery
- Yi Wang, Assistant Professor Horticultural Sciences, University of Wisconsin Madison
- Margaret Worthington, Assistant Professor/Fruit Breeding and Genetics, University of Arkansas, Department of Horticulture
The 2020 Fruit + Vegetable 40 Under 40 Awards are sponsored by AgBiome, BioWorks, Corteva Agriscience, FMC and Stokes Seeds. For more information about each member of the Class of 2020, visit https://fruitgrowersnews.com/40under40 or https://vegetablegrowersnews.com/40under40. Nominations for the Class of 2021 will be available online, at www.fruitgrowersnews.com and www.vegetablegrowersnews.com, beginning in December with a nomination deadline of March 15, 2021.