Post Pandemic:  Vision for Indiana Agribusiness in the Next 3-5 Years
Opening General Session
August 11, 2020
 8:00 AM - 9:00 AM


ACI Amy Cornell will be joined by a cross-section of distinguished Indiana industry leaders from the seed, feed, grain, plant food, and ag chem businesses they represent to discuss their vision of agribusiness in Indiana over the next 3-5 years.

CCA CEUs:  1 - Professional Development

Sponsored by:

Industry Leader:  Sonny Beck, Beck's Hybrids CEO

Lawrence "Sonny" Beck is CEO of Beck's Hybrids in Atlanta, Indiana, where his business philosophy emphasizes quality, service, and the importance of agronomic research to the future well-being of the American farmer.  Under his leadership, Beck's Hybrids has become the largest family-owned retail seed company in the United States.  Sonny earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Agronomy and Plant Breeding and a Master of Arts Degree in Agricultural Economics, both from Purdue University.  Sonny was also awarded the Purdue University Distinguished Agriculture Alumni Award in 1992, and he received an Honorary Doctorate of Agriculture from Purdue University in 2007.  

Sonny has held a variety of other leadership positions within the agriculture industry, including president of the American Seed Trade Association; president of the Indiana Crop Improvement Association; a charter member of the Indiana State Department of Agriculture Advisory Board; a charter member of the Purdue Foundation Development Council; a founding member of the Purdue FarmHouse Fraternity Foundation board; member of the Board of Directors for the Purdue Research Foundation; member of the Board of Governors for the U.S. Grains Council; and a member of the Purdue Agriculture Dean's Advisory Council.  

Sonny and his wife, Glendia, enjoy spending time with their three children and thirteen grandchildren.

Industry Leader:  Kevin Still, Co-Alliance Cooperative CEO

Kevin A. Still is President and CEO of Co-Alliance, Cooperative, Inc. and has 35 years of successful experience in managing agricultural retail cooperatives.  Kevin facilitated the growth and development of the Co-Alliance Cooperative from its origins.  Co-Alliance is now a billion-dollar corporation with over 1,000 employees.  Co-Alliance offers four divisions of service including:  Energy, Agronomy, Grain, Swine & Animal Nutrition.  Mr. Still is a Certified Public Accountant and holds a bachelor's degree in accounting from the University of Iowa and went on to earn his Certified Public Accountant Certification from the University of Illinois and completed Advanced Executive Development curriculum at Purdue University.  

Kevin and his wife, Anne, reside in Carmel, Indiana, and have two grown sons and six grandchildren.

Industry Leader:  Malcolm DeKryger, Belstra Milling CEO

Malcom completed his Bachelor of Science degree from Calvin College in 1981.  He attended Purdue University Graduate School from 1981-1983.  Upon graduation from Purdue University with a Master's degree in Animal Sciences in 1983, Malcolm spent 1.5 years on staff at Purdue as an Extension Swine Specialist.  After seven years in the feed and pharmaceutical industries, he joined Belstra Milling Co, a family and employee owned regional feed manufacturer in 1991.  The company business includes feed production, feed transport, pig production and agriculture tourism.  Malcom is the President/CEO and part owner of the company.
Under his leadership, the Belstra Milling's pig production business has grown from 550 sows to nearly 18,500 sows producing 540,000 pigs per year.  Malcolm conceptualized and directed all phases of design, permitting, finance, construction, and production in their six farms.  10,500 sows on four farms produce replacement gilts for PIC, and 8,000 sows on the other two farms produce commercial pigs and also sell weaned pigs to regional farmers.  These highly productive farms have utilized many new technologies over the years, and they were some of the first U.S. sow farms to reach the 30 pigs/sow/year level for long periods of time.  
In the last 31 years, the three feed mills and feed supply business have grown from 35,000 mixed tons to over 210,000 tons with the development of the pig farms and the addition of over 100,000 dairy cows in the last twenty years.  The number of employees at the mills and the farms has also grown in the past 30 years from 20 to 215 with payroll in excess of $12,000,000.  

Industry Leader:  Scot Ortman, Kokomo Grain CEO

Scot Ortman is CEO and President of Kokomo Grain.  He earned his B.S. in Agricultural Economics in 1985 and was a grain buyer for Continental Grain in Minneapolis, MN.  Scot joined Kokomo Grain in 1988 as a futures/options trader and later managed the Edinburgh, Indiana facility from 1993 - 2001.  He became the Chief Operating Officer in 2001 and was promoted to CEO and President in 2003.  

 

 

Industry Leader:  General Marty Umbarger, Umbarger Agribusiness CEO

Marty Umbarger is president of Umbarger Agribusiness, a family-business for more than 79 years located in Bargersville, Indiana with three divisions:  Feed Mill Operations, Grain Facility, and Agronomy Plant.  He is also a senior policy advisor with Bose Public Affairs Group, an advisory consultant for AM General Corporation, South Bend, Indiana and on the Board of Advisors for Ravenswood Solutions, a defense company that specializes in instrumentation military training.  Mr. Umbarger has extensive experience in both agriculture and defense sectors.  

Mr. Umbarger also served 46 years in the Indiana National Guard serving in many staff and command positions during his military career.  In March 2004, Governor Joe Kernan appointed him as the Adjutant General of Indiana.  He was reappointed by Governor Mitch Daniels in December 2004 and by Vice President, Mike Pence, in December 2012.  General Umbarger received praise from leaders, including Pence, who praised General Umbarger for his lifelong service to our state and nation.  

During his tenure as the Adjutant General, General Umbarger was instrumental in the establishment of the Muscatatuck Urban Training Center as a nationally recognized training facility for both military and civilian first responders.  He also led the expansion of Camp Atterbury into a state-of-the-art simulations, cyber, mobilization and training facility.