Speakers
Natasha Crane
Cargill Risk Management
Natasha Crane is part of the North America Agriculture commercial team at Cargill Risk Management. She works with companies in the food and beverage industry to build and implement hedging strategies using tailored OTC solutions that are unique to their goals, risk management policies and market biases. Prior to her current role, she worked at StoneX Black Sea hedging desk.
Scott Amoye
Blommer Chocolate Co.
Scott Amoye has been vice president of corporate procurement and commodity risk management at Blommer Chocolate Co. since April 2017. Earlier in his career, he held senior procurement, trading, sales and risk management roles at Guittard Chocolate, ECOM Agrotrade, Mondelez International, ED&F Man and Cargill. Mr. Amoye is on Blommer’s Executive Team and also has P&L responsibility for Blommer’s cocoa bean processing business. He received a bachelor’s degree in government and international relations at Hamilton College and a master’s degree in finance and international business at Fordham University.
Dan Basse
Basse has been in the commodity business since 1979, providing research and insight around the globe. He was raised on a dairy/grain farm in Waukesha, Wis., and graduated from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, in 1979. Basse has worked with Professional Farmers of America, Brock Associates, and the agricultural research division of GNP Commodities in Chicago. In 1987, he founded AgResource Co. to serve the needs of the United States and the world agriculture community. He serves as chairman of the US Farm Foundation and holds annual grain conference in Geneva Switzerland called GrainCom.
Ankush Bhandari
Scoular Co.
Ankush Bhandari has over two decades of expertise in commodity research and analysis. He is currently vice president of economic research at Scoular Co. Earlier, he was with Verition Fund, where he specializes in grain, oilseed and biofuel industry research. Prior to this, he served as the vice president of economic research at Viterra US (Formerly Gavilon Group, LLC). He began his career with ConAgra Trade Group, initially as a research analyst, later transitioning into a financial trading role for 10 years. Bhandari has shared insights as a keynote speaker at various conferences in the United States, Europe, Southeast Asia, Mexico and South America. His market outlook presentations also have been featured at various industry associations and roundtables. He received a master’s of business administration degree in finance from Emory University in Atlanta.
Scott Custard
Moving Parts, LLC
Scott Custard has been in the food business for more than 30 years, focusing on merchandising grain and selling vegetable oil and wheat flour. Prior to joining Moving Parts in 2006, he was a national account manager at Conagra Foods for nearly 10 years. He also has worked at Ag Processing Inc., Ameritas and the US Department of Agriculture. He received a bachelor’s degree in agriculture at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
Sara Dorland
Ceres
Dorland is the managing partner at Ceres, specializing in risk management, market research and financial consulting for agriculture and food-based businesses. With extensive experience across the dairy supply chain — from producers and cooperatives to manufacturers and consumer products companies — Dorland provides strategic insights on hedging, market positioning and industry analysis. Her work spans education, consulting and innovative approaches to navigating the evolving dairy landscape.
Joseph Glauber
International Food Policy Research Institute
Joseph Glauber is a senior research fellow emeritus at the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) in Washington, and until January 2024 served as interim Secretary of the Agricultural Market Information System (AMIS). He also holds appointments at the Center for Strategic and International Studies and the American Enterprise Institute. Prior to joining IFPRI, Glauber spent more than 30 years at the US Department of Agriculture, including as chief economist from 2008-14. From 2007-09, he was the Special Doha Agricultural Envoy at the office of the US Trade Representative where he served as chief agricultural negotiator in the Doha talks. He is the author of numerous studies on agricultural insurance, trade policy and US farm policy.
Mike Irgang
Global Risk Management Corp.
Mike Irgang is president of Global Risk Management (GRM) where he leads the company’s practice in Animal Proteins, Foreign Exchange, and working with foodservice clients in designing and implementing commodity risk management programs. He spent the first six years of his career in public accounting and banking before embarking on a 20-year career with McDonald’s Corp., where he spent time in the treasury department before taking over responsibility for McDonald’s foreign exchange hedging program. He later joined OSI Group as vice president and chief accounting officer before taking over as president of GRM in 2016. He has been recognized with several industry awards, including Treasury and Risk Management magazine’s Alexander Hamilton Gold Medal Award as well as the Ernst & Young’s Global Risk Manager of the Year.
Frank Jenkins
Jenkins Sugar Group
Frank Jenkins, president of Jenkins Sugar Group, has more than 20 years of experience as a broker and consultant focusing mainly on the US/NAFTA sugar markets. Prior to founding Jenkins Sugar Group in 1993, he worked on the sugar desk of ED&F Man in New York from 1983 to 1986, and was vice president of the Merrill Lynch Private Client Group in New York from 1986 to 1993. He also was president of the Sugar Club of New York and has been a featured speaker at numerous industry and US Department of Agriculture sponsored forums.
Prakash Jhanwer
ofi
Prakash Jhanwer is the managing director and chief executive officer of spices for ofi. ofi’s spices business has leadership positions in products such as dehydrated onion, garlic, black pepper and chiles. Jhanwer joined Olam in 1998 in Uganda and looked after its coffee operations. In 2001 he was transferred to Singapore wherein he headed the risk function of the company. In 2007 he was promoted to Vietnam as country head. In 2010 his role was enlarged to oversee Olam's operations in Indonesia, Cambodia, Laos, Papua New Guinea and Vietnam. From 2016 to 2020, he was in charge of operations for Southeast Asia and China. He is a graduate of commerce and completed his MBA from the prestigious Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad. In 2018, he received the Young Alumni Achievers Award from his alma mater.
Lauren Jia
Macquarie Group
Lauren Jia is a managing director at Macquarie Group, where she is responsible for providing commodities risk management solutions for consumers in the food and beverage, consumer products, and industrial spaces. Her expertise includes designing financial hedging strategies, with special focus on resin and paper packaging, as well as agriculture, energy, and metal products. Prior to joining Macquarie, she worked at Barclays Bank and Lehman Brothers on the commodities trading desks. She is a graduate of Johns Hopkins University, with a bachelor’s and master’s degree in international economics.
Eric Kelley
UMB Bank
Kelley has been with UMB Bank for more than 25 years, all of which he has spent in the asset management area. As executive vice president and chief investment officer he heads UMB’s economic forecasting team, and also sits on the Bank's ALCO committee. In his private wealth management role, he is responsible for investment strategy for approximately $17 billion in client assets. On UMB’s ALCO team, he is a voting member helping to direct the Bank’s $75 billion balance sheet. He previously was director of investment research and head of fixed income strategy. He received a bachelor’s degree at the University of Kansas and a master’s degree in business administration at Baker University.
Bill Lapp
Advanced Economic Solutions
Bill Lapp has more than 40 years of experience in analyzing and forecasting economic conditions and commodity markets. In 2005, he formed Advanced Economic Solutions, and prior to that was vice president of economic research for ConAgra Foods. Advanced Economic Solutions provides economic and commodity analysis and offers forecasts and analysis for procurement, investment and risk management decisions. Lapp serves on the board of the Farm Foundation and the Kansas City Federal Reserve Board’s Center for the Study of Rural America. He is a member of the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service Advisory Board. He received a bachelor’s degree in math and computer science from Southern Illinois University, and a master’s degree in agricultural economics from Purdue University.
Drew Lerner
World Weather, Inc.
Drew Lerner is president and senior agricultural meteorologist of World Weather, Inc. He has been forecasting international weather for 47 years. He began his meteorology career in 1978 as he participated in an international effort to collect data and improve weather forecasting for the Asian monsoon. Since then, he has been supporting the agricultural industry by providing detailed short- and long-range weather predictions for each major crop area in the world. His daily assessments of crop and weather expectations supports commodity market trade and help many companies make better agricultural business decisions. Lerner started World Weather, Inc. in 2001 after leading Global Weather Services in the late 1990s. Based in Overland Park, Kan., World Weather, Inc. supports an expanding group of clientele residing in North America, South America, India, Europe, Africa and Australia.
Brian Moscogiuri
Eggs Unlimited
Brian Moscogiuri joined Eggs Unlimited as a global trade strategist in 2021, where his responsibilities include assisting the sales team in thinking outside the box to uncover new opportunities and help customers overcome challenges they face when exploring new markets. He began his career at Urner Barry as an analyst covering the US and European egg markets, later moving on to become director of marketing during his 10-year career there. He received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees at Philadelphia University.
Erin Nazetta
Advisor
Nazetta has two decades of experience spanning commodity markets, agribusiness finance, and global investment strategy. She has held senior roles at Rabobank, Bunge, and Broadview Capital Holdings, advising CEOs, institutional investors, and boards on grain, oilseed, and global market trends across some of the world's largest agricultural portfolios. Known for translating complex market dynamics into clear, actionable strategy, her analysis has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, Bloomberg, and Reuters. Nazetta serves on the board of Farm Foundation and holds an Executive MBA from Washington University in St. Louis and a certificate from the Agribusiness Seminar at Harvard Business School Executive Education.
Alex Norton
Beeson & Associates, Inc.
Alex Norton is president of Beeson & Associates, Inc., a commodity risk management consulting firm. He joined the company in 2008 as a commodity analyst with a focus on grains and oilseeds markets. Responsibilities grew to include providing analysis to back recommendations and risk management strategies for customers as the director of risk management. He later was named vice president of agricultural services in 2019, and in 2021 he was named president. He received a bachelor’s degree in economics from Wake Forest University and a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Massachusetts.ral services in 2019, and in 2021 he was named president. He received a bachelor’s degree in economics from Wake Forest University and a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Massachusetts.
Steve Nugent
Milne Fruit Products, Inc.
Steve Nugent is director of IQF, dried and export sales, at Milne Fruit Products, where among other duties he is responsible for international business development. Prior to Milne, he was executive vice president at Otsuka Foods, and earlier was national sales and marketing manager at Graceland Fruit. He also has worked at Holnam, Inc. and Arthur Andersen. He received a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Michigan Technological University.
David Portalatin
The NPD Group
David Portalatin is senior vice president and industry adviser for food and foodservice at Circana. In his role, he advises food manufacturers and retailers as well as foodservice distributors, manufacturers and operators. He shares data and expertise on how US consumers eat and drink, their attitudes and motivations, their personal characteristics, and their use of restaurants and other foodservice outlets. He also is the author of Circana’s annual report on Eating Patterns in America, a compilation of food and foodservice research. Previously, he was Circana’s analyst in the convenience retailing, automotive aftermarket and motor fuels industries. Before joining the company in 1999, he held various positions in foodservice wholesale distribution and convenience retailing.
Dave Reeble
Moving Parts, LLC
Dave Reeble has over 40 years of experience in the commodity food industry, specializing in grain trading and risk management with companies like ADM, Pillsbury, AGP and Conagra Foods. He received a bachelor’s degree in marketing at Millikin University.
Jim Ritchie
RedStone Logistics
Jim Ritchie has spent more than 35 years in the logistics and supply chain management industry. His experience includes running the retail and consumer products group for Ryder Logistics business unit before leaving to start up Meridian IQ Logistics. In 2012, Mr. Ritchie founded RedStone Logistics. In addition to his CEO role at RedStone Logistics, he has been an instructor for the University of Kansas graduate program for supply chain management. Mr. Ritchie instructs the capstone course for logistics officers from the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines at the Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kan. He received a bachelor’s degree in industrial design – architecture from California State University at Long Beach.
Adam Stout
StoneX Financial Inc.
Adam Stout is a risk management consultant for StoneX Financial Inc., where he specializes in offering risk management services to a diverse group of commercial clients, from grain handlers and livestock feeding operations to food processors/manufacturers and retail restaurant chains. He joined the company in 2005, providing his clients commodity consulting and advisory services as well as assisting them in the implementation and management of their commodity hedging programs with the execution of exchange-traded futures and options and over-the-counter instruments. He received bachelor’s degrees in business administration and mathematics from William Jewell College in Liberty, Mo.
Tim Statts
Schneider Electric
Tim Statts is vice president of commodity services and previously vice president of risk management at Schneider Electric where he leads a team responsible for analyzing energy commodity markets and developing comprehensive strategies for managing associated risks. In this capacity, he works to create and execute upon client-customized risk management strategies. Mr. Statts has offered expert market commentary on Bloomberg and CNBC and has presented at various industry conferences. Prior to Schneider he was with Summit Energy, where he analyzed natural gas commodity markets, identified buying opportunities, developed natural gas hedging strategies, and managed the natural gas market analysis department. Earlier, he worked with Sempra Energy, where he managed financial hedging, performed all market transactions, identified acceptable risks, and analyzed market dynamics. He received a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Bellarmine University in Louisville and a master’s degree in business administration from Purdue University in West Lafayette, Ind.
Hugo van der Goes
Blommer Chocolate Company
Hugo van der Goes is senior vice president, Commercial at Blommer Chocolate Company (Member Fuji Oil Group). He oversees the Commercial functions at the company, which covers all aspects of the Blommer customer experience; from developing new products and applications, to sales, marketing, market intelligence and customer service. He is a member of The Blommer Chocolate Executive Leadership Team. Prior to his Blommer role, he was the vice president of cocoa, North America for Barry Callebaut between 2015 and 2025. Before joining Barry Callebaut, van der Goes worked for 16 years at Cargill in different senior management positions within the cocoa and chocolate division. He has served as chairman and board member of The Cocoa Merchants’ Association of America. Van der Goes attended Erasmus University, Rotterdam (The Netherlands), where he received a master of science degree in economics and international marketing management.
Darci Vetter
Sower Strategies, LLC
Darci Vetter is a global public policy leader and trusted adviser working at the intersection of agriculture, sustainability and international trade. With more than two decades of experience across government, business, and the nonprofit sector, she helps organizations navigate complex global policy environments and advance more resilient food systems. She served in senior US government roles, including chief agricultural negotiator at the Office of the US Trade Representative. She also served as Undersecretary of Agriculture for Trade where she oversaw the Foreign Agricultural Service. Vetter also has held executive leadership roles as head of global public policy at both The Nature Conservancy and PepsiCo. She currently advises companies, nonprofits, and international organizations on aligning policy and market incentives to support sustainable agriculture and global trade.
Hayden Wands
Grupo Bimbo
Wands is vice president of procurement, commodities at Grupo Bimbo SAB de CV. He oversees and coordinates purchasing for all commodity-based ingredients as well as the company’s energy requirements. Earlier, he held various roles with Bimbo Bakeries USA, Sara Lee, Horizon/Cargill, Farmland Grain, ADM Milling Co. and Bartlett & Co. He is chairman of the Commodity and Agricultural Policy Committee of the American Bakers Association and a member of the executive leadership team of the Wheat Foods Council. He has served on the Kansas City Board of Trade, the Minneapolis Grain Exchange and the Wheat Quality Council. He is a graduate of Kansas State University with bachelor’s degrees in flour milling science and in business marketing.
Scott Colbert
Commerce Trust
Chief Economist and Director of Fixed Income Management, Commerce Trust Colbert is the chief economist and director of fixed income management for Commerce Trust. He joined Commerce in 1993 and has investment responsibilities for more than $26 billion in fixed income assets. He directly manages the Commerce Short Term Government and the flagship Commerce Bond strategies. Colbert received a bachelor’s of science degree in nuclear engineering from the University of Cincinnati in 1986 and a master’s of business administration degree at Xavier University in 1988. He has been both a director and president of the Chartered Financial Analyst Society of St. Louis.
Steve Freed
Freed Consulting
Steve Freed is a consultant to the grain industry. He recently retired from ADM Investor Services after 30 years at the company, including time spent as director of research and, most recently, vice president of grain research. Prior to that he was with Dean Witter Reynolds as vice president of futures research. He also has held positions as oilseeds analyst for Frazier Parrott and as field crop analyst for Continental Grain Co., covering the United States, Canada, Brazil and Argentina. Mr.Freed received a bachelor’s degree in agriculture from Illinois State University.
Kellee James
Argus Media
James is the founder of Mercaris, a market information service for organic, non-GMO and other identity-preserved commodities and ingredients. Mercaris was acquired by Argus Media in June 2023. Argus Media is a price reporting agency for more than 40,000 commodities markets spanning energy, agriculture, freight and more. Prior to Mercaris, James spent five years at the Chicago Climate Exchange, and was appointed by President Barack Obama as a White House Fellow. Previously, she worked with commodity banks in Latin America on risk management and income diversification strategies. She serves on the board of the Organic Trade Association.
Ryan Koory
Argus Media
As vice president of economics, Ryan Koory leads the development of Argus’ ever-growing network of organic and non-GMO market data partners. Koory and the Mercaris economic research team produce critical data and insights for organic and non-GMO commodity markets. Prior to Argus, he developed market forecasts for global livestock, dairy and biofuel markets, and has spent 15 years producing data and research for agricultural markets globally. He has a bachelor’s degree in economics at Missouri State University and studied for his master’s degree in agricultural economics at the University of Missouri-Columbia.
Brijesh Krishnaswamy
ofi
Brijesh Krishnaswamy is the president and global head of spices at ofi. He has more than 22 years of experience in the food industry and has been with the company for two decades, spending much of his tenure there leading business and operations for edible nuts in Europe. He began overseeing the spice division in 2018 and is based out of Fresno, Calif.
Jan Lambregts
RaboResearch
Jan Lambregts is head of RaboResearch Global Economics & Markets. He oversees a worldwide team of analysts and strategists who cover macro, FX, rates, credit, agri commodities and energy markets for key clients. Before his move to London in 2009 to head up the global team, he lived and worked in Singapore and Hong Kong for seven years, covering macro, FX and rates strategy for Rabobank clients, with a particular focus on Japan and China. A cum laude graduate of Tilburg University in the Netherlands,
Mary Keough Ledman
RaboResearch Food and Agribusiness
Ledman has almost 30 years of experience in the dairy industry that includes production, processing and policy. She grew up on a dairy farm in southern Wisconsin and has worked on farms in Germany, Japan and New Zealand. Her past work experience includes the US Department of Agriculture, Kraft and Stella Foods. In 1995, she founded Keough Ledman Associates, a dairy economic consulting firm that provides monthly dairy product and milk price forecasting, economic and policy analysis, dairy product and milk sourcing strategies and domestic and international dairy market information. In 2012, she acquired the Daily Dairy Report. She received a master’s of science degree in agricultural economics from Texas A&M University and also received a Fulbright Fellowship to study the European Community’s dairy policy in Germany.
Sally Lyons Wyatt
Circana
Lyons Wyatt is a go-to expert and frequent keynote speaker on future-forward consumer and retail insights, industry trends, and a multitude of topics related to food and beverages, nonfood, sustainability, emerging categories, and more. She frequently is quoted about the latest trends and insights in national business media outlets such as The Today Show, The Wall Street Journal, CNBC, Financial Times, New York Times, CBS, and leading CPG trade media publications. She has more than 25 years of industry expertise in partnering with executives at Circana clients. She leverages Circana data to optimize a wide range of strategies with clients — from consumer and media to merchandising and supply strategies. Lyons Wyatt is a two-time “Top Women in Grocery” recipient and a proud executive sponsor of Circana’s Early Career Professionals Business Resource Group.
Jay O’Neil
HJ O’Neil Commodity Consulting
Jay O’Neil is the proprietor of HJ O’Neil Commodity Consulting. Previously, he spent 12 years as the senior agricultural economist at the International Grains Program at Kansas State University. Prior to that he worked as a grain trader and trade group manager for Continental Grain, The Pillsbury Co., The Ferruzzi Group, Bartlett Grain Co. and as a private consultant to domestic and international grain companies. He also publishes a weekly transportation and export report for subscribers. He is an emeritus member of the North American Export Grain Association’s (NAEGA) Contracts and Arbitration Committee and continues to serve as a special arbitrator with NAEGA.
Ramon Paxton
Cargill Risk Management
Ramon Paxton is the global head of trading strategy for Cargill Risk Management. In this role he and his team provide trading strategies and analytics for the trading team. He also aligns with the sales team to provide market intelligence to the commercial business. Prior to his current role with Cargill Risk Management, he traded futures for Cargill at the Chicago Board of Trade for 18 years. He was also an independent trader at the Chicago Board of Trade and served in the US Army.
Darren Seifer
Circana
Darren Seifer brings more than 20 years of expertise at Circana to his role as an industry adviser for the consumer packaged goods, food consumption, and foodservice industries. He is a contributing author of Circana’s annual Eating Patterns in America report, a compilation of all food and foodservice research the company conducts over the year. He also provides insights based on Circana’s food-related research to organizations and companies across the country and has authored food and beverage research reports on the health state of US consumers, the dynamics of meal delivery kits, what’s inside America’s kitchens, and the Future of Snacking.
Ron Sterk
Sosland Publishing
Ron Sterk is senior editor, markets, for Milling & Baking News and Food Business News, and is the creator and editor of the Sosland Sweetener Report, the only newsletter dedicated to covering the domestic sweetener market. In addition to sugar, he covers a wide array of ingredient markets pertinent to grain-based foods and other food manufacturers. He has a bachelor’s degree in agricultural journalism with a focus in agronomy and a minor in animal science from Iowa State University and a master’s degree in business from Rockhurst University in Kansas City.
Stay tuned for the 2026 Purchasing Seminar speaker lineup, coming January 2026.