WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S. — The National Grain and Feed Association (NGFA) elected John Heck, senior vice-president of The Scoular Co., Omaha, Nebraska, U.S., as its new chairman during the organization's 120th annual convention.

Heck is the 66th industry leader to serve NGFA. In his new capacity, he serves as chairman of NGFA's board of directors, after previously having served as first vice-chairman and as chairman of the Finance and Administration Committee. He also continues to serve on NGFA's Executive Committee.

Heck began his Scoular career in 1981 as a grain merchandiser, and held positions of increasing responsibility with the company in succeeding years. In 1984, he became operations manager of the Nebraskaregion, and a year later was named vice-president responsible for management and operation of the eastern region. In 1992, he was promoted to senior vice-president.

The convention, which attracted more than 700 grain, feed, processing and export industry members, was conducted at the Hotel del Coronado near San Diego, California, U.S.

Elected as NGFA's new first vice-chairman was Erik Wilkey, president of Arizona Grain Inc., Casa Grande, Arizona, U.S., while David Baudler, managing director - grain, Cargill Agricultural Supply Chain North America, Cargill Inc., Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S., was elected as NGFA's new second vice-chairman. 

Wilkey joined Arizona Grain in 1991 after beginning his career six years earlier with the Continental Grain Co. From 1996-2006, he served as the company's vice-president and director of merchandising and risk management. In 2006, he was named president of Arizona Grain, which operates in a four-state region of Arizona, California, New Mexico and Colorado. Since 2011, when Arizona Grain purchased Arizona Plant Breeders, Wilkey also has served as president of the wheat and cereal grain-breeding company. 

Baudler was named managing director - grain, Cargill Agricultural Supply Chain North America earlier this year, and is responsible for domestic and export grain across the U.S. and Canada. He previously served since March 2011 as business unit leader and president of Cargill AgHorizons U.S., which was responsible for Cargill's farmer-facing grain and crop-input business. Baudler also has also been on Cargill corporate committees, including the Financial Risk Committee and the Technology Venture Fund.   

Baudler has had numerous positions in the U.S. grain business with Cargill earlier in his career, including the company's World Trading Unit in Geneva, Switzerland; the Dressings, Sauces and Oils Refining Group within the Food Ingredients Platform; and general manager of the Softseeds and Biodiesel Segment of the company's Grain and Oilseeds North America Division.  At NGFA, he serves on the board of directors and executive committee.

In addition, NGFA members elected the following members to serve three-year terms on the organization's board of directors:

  • Jim Banachowski, The Andersons
  • Robert Bond, AGREX Inc.
  • Randy Broady, Trupointe Cooperative
  • Steve Campbell, Louis Dreyfus Commodities
  • Charles Colbert, Zen-Noh Grain Corp.
  • Mitch Dawson, MFA Inc. 
  • Bert Farrish, Big River Rice and Grain
  • Chris Faust, Grain Division, Gavilon Inc.
  • Roger Fray, West Central Cooperative
  • Dave Hoogmoed, Purina Feed LLC
  • Kyle Jeworski, Viterra
  • Robert Jones, Wells Fargo Clearing
  • Joe Kapraun, GROWMARK Inc. 
  • Ryan McCoy, CoMark Grain Marketing LLC
  • Scott McWilliams, Lansing Trade Group
  • Michael Meyers, Wheat By-Products
  • Chris Peha, Northwest Grain Growers
  • Ryan Pellett, J.D. Heiskell & Co.
  • Rand Schafer, Lortscher Animal Nutrition Inc.
  • Ted Schultz, Team Marketing Alliance LLC

Subsequently, the NGFA board of directors elected the following of its members to serve on the NGFA executive committee:

  • Greg Beck, CGB Enterprises Inc.
  • Chris Boerm, Archer Daniels Midland Co.
  • Steve Campbell, Louis Dreyfus Commodities
  • Tom Coyle, Nidera U.S. LLC 
  • Geoff Finch, Wenger's Feed Mill Inc.
  • John Fletcher, AGRIService LLC
  • Roger Fray, West Central Cooperative
  • Matt Gibson, Bunge North America Inc.
  • David Hoogmoed, Land O'Lakes Inc.
  • Diana Klemme, Grain Service Corp.
  • Todd Lafferty, Wheeler Brothers Grain Co. 
  • Dan Mack, CHS Inc. 
  • Ryan Pellett, J.D. Heiskell & Co. 

Also serving as members of the executive committee by virtue of their office are: 

  • NGFA Chairman: John Heck, The Scoular Company
  • NGFA First Vice-Chairman: Eric Wilkey, Arizona Grain Inc.
  • NGFA Second Vice-Chairman: David Baudler, Cargill Inc.
  • Immediate Past Chairman: Gary Beachner, Beachner Grain Inc. 
        NGFA President: Randy Gordon