Wisconsin Agribusiness Classic

2024 Speakers

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Fletcher Robbins

Thursday
Forages & Insects

Bio
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Francisco Arriaga

Wednesday
Soil & Water Management

Dr. Francisco Arriaga is an Associate Professor and Extension State Specialist with the Department of Soil Science and the Division of Extension at the Univ. of Wisconsin-Madison. The overall goal of his research and extension programs is to develop soil management strategies to improve soil health, water quality, and productivity of agricultural systems of the upper Midwest. Findings from this work are frequently used for outreach and extension activities.

Bio
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Hava Blair

Wednesday
Special Sessions

Hava is a soil scientist and researcher. She collaborates with the SnapPlus team to develop and implement the soil fertility, erosion, and nutrient loss models in SnapPlus. She earned her PhD in Land and Atmospheric Science from the Univ. of Minnesota."

Bio
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James Longo

Wednesday
Weed Management

James Longo has been working as an Environment Enforcement Specialist for the State of Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP), Div. of Ag Resource Management since 2017.   James inspects pesticide, fertilizer, and commercial animal feed manufacturers and distributors.  He also investigates complaints alleging pesticide drift and adulterated feed.  Additionally, he manages spill response and clean-up of agrichemical spills.  James’ territory of responsibility is primarily within Waupaca, Wood, Portage, and Clark counties.  Previously James worked as a correctional officer for the State of Wisconsin at the Racine Youthful Offenders Correctional Facility from 2006 through 2017.  In 2016 James graduated with a Bachelor’s of Science Degree from the Univ. of Wisconsin-Parkside.  After high school, James enlisted in the United States Coast Guard from which he retired from in 2022.

Bio
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Jed Colquhoun

Wednesday
Vegetables

Thursday
Economics & Special Topics

Jed Colquhoun is a Professor and Extension Specialist working in commercial fruit and vegetable production and IPM Program Director at the Univ. of Wisconsin (UW)-Madison. Jed's work is centered at the crossroads of productive agricultural systems and resilient natural resources.  His research program has been funded by over 150 competitive grants and he has authored over 60 peer-reviewed publications. Jed has held several administrative roles for UW-Madison and UW-Extension, most recently as Interim Program Leader for Agriculture and Natural Resources Extension and Associate Dean for the UW-Madison College of Agricultural & Life Sciences. Jed also serves as an advisor for several agriculture- and food-related organizations and on numerous boards for grower associations, foundations and related public agencies, sitting on over 90 leadership committees in his career. He has held the Friday Chair for Vegetable Production Research and Gottschalk Chair for Cranberry Production. Prior to returning to UW-Madison in 2005, he was a faculty member at Oregon State Univ. for 5 years.

Bio
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Jeff Hadachek

Wednesday
Soil & Water Management

Thursday
Economics & Special Topics

Jeff Hadachek is an assistant professor and extension specialist in the Department of Ag and Applied Economics at the Univ. of Wisconsin-Madison. He joined the faculty at UW in the fall of 2023. He grew up on a row crop farm in North Central Kansas and holds degrees from Kansas State Univ. and the Univ. of California-Davis. Jeff specializes in the economic valuation of environmental resources and agricultural conservation. His research also addresses adaptation and resilience of agriculture and food production to extreme events.

Bio
Jen Pino Gallagher

Jen Pino-Gallagher

Wednesday
Agribusiness Management

Jen Pino-Gallagher is the director of food and agribusiness practice at M3 Insurance. She identifies the most effective and efficient way to help clients in the food and agribusiness industry identify growth opportunities and reduce risk within their operations. She leverages M3’s multiple resources and her industry-specific expertise to help clients remain competitive within the increasingly globalized world of food and agribusiness.

In her previous role with the DATCP, Pino-Gallagher set the strategy and executed programs to grow the markets for Wisconsin’s diverse agricultural products locally, regionally, and internationally. She executed trade-building missions on four continents and helped create global awareness of Wisconsin as a powerhouse in food and agricultural production.

Jen serves as an industry advisory to the Wisconsin Agri-Business Association and is a regular contributor to agricultural publications across the country.

Jen is a PCQI (Preventive Controls Qualified Individual)  and HACCP certified and joined M3 in 2017.

Bio
M3 Insurance Professional Portraits

Jim Brunker

Wednesday
Agribusiness Management

James Brunker is a senior account executive and partner at M3 Insurance specializing in property and casualty insurance for the Food & Agribusiness industries. Brunker uses risk management strategies to advise clients and design coverage solutions to meet the ever evolving risks of these dynamic industries.

His active involvement in agricultural associations includes supporting the Wisconsin Agri-Business Association risk management committee as well as work on several subcommittees with the Wi Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection.

Earned Bachelor of Science degree in business administration with an emphasis in finance, real estate and insurance from the University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point

Jim is PCQI (Preventive Controls Qualified Individual) and Joined M3 in 2000

Bio
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Jim Nolte

Thursday
Agribusiness Safety & Compliance

Jim is the Safety Director for Wisconsin Agri-Business Association (WABA).  Jim’s responsibilities include assisting WABA members with their overall safety program and OSHA compliance in general.  Jim earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Occupational Safety from UW-Whitewater.  Before joining WABA, Jim held various safety management positions in private industry, worked with the OSHA consultation program and did some private consulting.  Jim is celebrating his 40th year of safety and OSHA compliance assistance.

Bio
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Joe Lauer

Wednesday
Agronomy

Joe grew up in north central Minnesota and holds degrees from St. John's Univ. and the Univ. of Minnesota. From 1985 to 1994, he was faculty extension agronomist at the Univ. of Wyoming. In 1994, Joe joined the Agronomy faculty at the Univ. of Wisconsin-Madison where he is responsible for conducting corn management applied research and delivering Extension educational programming for Wisconsin farmers, advisors and industry. Research emphasis is on farmer decision making regarding crop productivity, profitability, risk, quality, and efficiency of cropping systems.

Bio
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John Goeser

Wednesday
Animal Health & Nutriton

Goeser has offered dairy nutrition and management expertise for over 10 years, and has been overseeing animal nutrition, technical support and research with Rock River Laboratory since 2012. In 2014, Goeser joined the UW-Madison Animal & Dairy Science department as an adjunct professor, and also began offering consulting services for agricultural businesses. Goeser’s focus is improving our understanding of ruminant nutrition, seed genetics and forage management, and feed hygiene in relation to feed conversion efficiency, sustainability, and agribusiness profitability.

Bio
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John Jones

Thursday
Nutrient Management #2

Dr. John Jones is a Soil Fertility & Nutrient Management Researcher in the Department of Soil Science at the Univ. of Wisconsin-Madison. Dr. Jones’ research experience focuses on measuring and managing soil nutrients for agronomic and environmental benefits through soil-test calibration, identifying in what forms nutrients exist in soil and water, and prediction of nutrient availability to crops. He is an alumnus of Kansas State (BS) and Iowa State (MS & PhD) Universities. John and his family live on their farm near Columbus, Wis.

Bio
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Katie Nusbaum

Wednesday
Agribusiness Management

Katie Nusbaum grew up on her family's 150 acre farm located east of Monroe, Wis. She was very active in FFA, 4-H, and softball before graduating from Juda High School in 2022. She will be graduating from Southwest Wisconsin Technical College, with a degree in Agronomy, in May of this year. This past summer, Katie interned at Nutrient Ag Solutions out of Stockton, Ill. and will be continuing her employment with the company as their Operations Specialist as well as their Intern Advisor after graduation. On the side, Katie runs her own photography business, Katie Nusbaum Photography, is an active member of the Juda FFA Alumni, and helps out at a local dairy farm. She is excited to graduate and start her career full time!

Bio
Kevin Masarik

Kevin Masarik

Wednesday
Soil & Water Management

Kevin Masarik is an integrated specialist with Univ. of Wisconsin – Madison, Division of Extension and the Univ. of Wisconsin–Stevens Point, College of Natural Resources. His extension teaching focuses on groundwater and drinking water quality education targeted towards populations served by rural residential well water systems. Other aspects of his work include understanding the relationship between agricultural land use and water quality, geologic related groundwater contaminants, and utilizing well water data to educate the public about important groundwater quality concerns where they live and work.

Bio
Kristina V

Kristina Vack

Wednesday
Agribusiness Management

Kristina Vack, Director of CALS Career Services at UW-Madison, has been guiding students on their career journeys since 2007. With a passion for connecting academia and industry, she actively builds relationships with industry leaders, fostering networks that benefit students and employers. She approaches each interaction with a learner mindset, recognizing that there's no one-size-fits-all approach. Outside of her career focus, you'll find her cheering for her children at artistic performances or exploring new restaurants. She's excited to share insights at the panel!

Bio
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Laura Ward Good

Wednesday
Special Sessions

Laura Good is a soil scientist who leads SnapPlus nutrient management planning software development in the UW-Madison Department of Soil Science.

Bio
Lindsey R.

Lindsey Rushford

Wednesday
Nutrient Management #1

Bio
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Mark Kendall

Thursday
Nutrient Management #2

Mark Kendall is a master’s student on the UW BeanTeam under the direction of Shawn Conley.  He also works at the Arlington Ag. Research Station and farms with his brothers near Mineral Point, Wis.  Mark and his lovely wife Sophia reside just south of Madison.  His research focuses on identifying and mitigating any yield or growth reductions of no-till soybeans.

Bio
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Marta Kohmann

Thursday
Forages & Insects

Marta Kohmann started her work as the Forage Systems Agroecology Extension Specialist/Assistant Professor in 2023 at UW-Madison. She has worked extensively with forage production in various systems, focusing heavily on how to make them more productive – and healthy. Marta is passionate about extension, and is excited to continue to build science-based knowledge to support producers in their management decisions.

Bio
Matt A.

Matt Akins

Thursday
Animal Health & Nutrition

Matt Akins is a Dairy Scientist with the USDA Dairy Forage Research Center Environmentally Integrated Dairy Management Research unit in Marshfield, Wis.  Matt previously worked as a Scientist and Extension Dairy Specialist with the Univ. of Wisconsin-Madison for 8 years.  His research focuses on forage management and dairy heifer nutrition; including the evaluation of growing and feeding various high-fiber forages that fit dairy heifer nutrient needs.  He is also working with Univ. of Wisconsin-Madison researchers to evaluate finishing programs for dairy beef crossbred cattle and resulting carcass measures and meat quality. In his free-time, Matt enjoys spending time with his family in the outdoors, watching his kids’ sporting events, and helping with the local boy scout troop.

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