Rod Leman, Growthland
Rod joined Growthland in January 2022 as an Associate Appraiser, Real Estate Salesperson, and Business Consultant. Rod has 32 years of experience in pork production, business management, and ownership with several large swine companies. He spent the last few years before joining Growthland directing business development efforts for a major, packer integrated swine company. Rod has served on the Board of Directors of the Iowa Pork Producers Association as well as committee service with the National Pork Producers Association. Utilizing his pork industry knowledge and relationships, Rod is uniquely positioned to help Growthland to expand its core appraisal business and to explore new opportunities in business consulting. Rod lives in Iowa City, Iowa and has five children.
Tyler Bruch, Boa Safra Ag Founder/Farmer
Tyler Bruch is a sixth-generation farmer. He has spent more than 15 years doing international ag consulting and management across four continents and in 15 countries. He lived in South America for over ten years and is fluent in Portuguese. He has consulted governments, NGOs, private equity firms, and family offices on various topics, including sustainability, soil health, water conservation, turnkey production, and food security projects. Outside of his international ag focus, Tyler and his wife, Amy, have consulted on and managed several U.S.-based projects in the Delta, South Florida, and Texas. They own and operate Cyclone Farms Inc. in central Nebraska, where their team raises food-grade organic crops for various end-user contracts in the U.S. and abroad. Tyler is a graduate of Iowa State University and is the CEO and co-founder of Boa Safra Ag.
Matt Herman, Iowa Soybean Association
Matt Herman is the chief officer of demand and advocacy at the Iowa Soybean Association. He is passionate about leveraging policy to support a more productive, profitable, and sustainable soybean rotation. To expand opportunities Matt bridges the divide between policymakers, scientists, and industry. Matt has worked in private and public roles including at Renewable Energy Group (now Chevron), BIO, & Clean Fuels Alliance America (CFAA) Matt went to Iowa State University where he studied policy and bioenergy.
Liz Ripley, Iowa Learning Farms and Water Rocks!
Liz Ripley is the conservation and cover crop outreach specialist with the Iowa Learning Farms and Water Rocks! Originally from a farm in northeast Iowa (Butler County), Ripley earned a bachelor’s degree in agricultural business-economics from Iowa State University and a master’s degree in agricultural economics at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
Meaghan Anderson, Iowa State University
Meaghan Anderson is an extension field agronomist for Iowa State University, serving clients in a nine-county area in central Iowa. She provides research-based educational programs and information regarding crop production and management to farmers, ag retailers, and others involved in agriculture. Prior to working as a field agronomist for Iowa State University, she obtained a B.S. in Agronomy and an M.S. in Crop Production & Physiology with a focus in weed science from Iowa State University.
Erin Herbold-Swalwell, Iowa Farm Bureau
Raised on a crop and livestock farm near Mingo, Erin practices primarily in the areas of agricultural law, estate and trust planning, and probate and trust administration. Admitted to the Iowa Bar in 2006, she attended Iowa State University (B.S., with distinction, 2003) and obtained her law degree from the University of Iowa College of Law (J.D., 2006). She served as Staff Attorney at the Iowa State University Center for Agricultural Law and Taxation from 2007-2011 and entered the private practice of law in 2011- practicing at Beving, Swanson and Forrest, P.C. from 2011-2015 and Brick Gentry, P.C. from 2015-2021. She now serves in the role of Senior Counsel for Advanced Markets, with the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation and Affiliated Companies (Farm Bureau Financial Services) and maintains a private practice at Wickham & Geadelmann law firm in West Des Moines, Iowa. 2021.