Teddy Bekele

Chief Technology Officer for Land O’Lakes, Inc.

Teddy Bekele is the Chief Technology Officer for Land O’Lakes, Inc. Prior to joining Land O’Lakes and WinField United, Teddy spent 13 years at Ingersoll Rand in numerous IT, engineering and supply chain roles including Director of Program Management, Director of Innovation & Engineering Technology and Custom Software Development Manager. Teddy holds an MBA from Indiana University and a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from North Carolina State University. Teddy has spent significant time internationally and speaks fluent Italian and Ethiopian.

Brittany Ullrich

Key Account Manager

Brittany Ullrich is a Key Account Manager for WinField United with nearly 10 years of experience in agriculture and precision ag technology. In her current role, Ullrich works with owners on strategic initiatives to assist them in accelerating their business. 
 
Prior to WinField United, Ullrich worked for a cooperative in North Dakota as precision agriculture lead. She graduated from North Dakota State University with a degree in agricultural economics and remains active with the NDSU Sigma Alpha alumni association to help promote women in agriculture.

Joel Wipperfurth

Director of E-business for WinField United

As Director of Director of E-business for WinField United, Joel Wipperfurth evaluates new precision ag technologies, tracks the rapidly evolving competitive landscape of ag technology and develops new partnerships. He also serves as the WinField United spokesperson positioning the company in the ag technology/precision ag marketplace. 

Previously, Joel served as WinField United Ag Technology Applications Lead, a WinField United master agronomy advisor team lead in southern Minnesota, and a district sales manager for CROPLAN® seed. He holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Minnesota in agricultural industries and marketing. Joel grew up on a Holstein dairy farm in southern Wisconsin that also produced corn and alfalfa. He currently resides on a small acreage in Owatonna, Minn., with his wife and three children. 

Amanda Neely

Ag Technology Success Team Lead

Amanda Neely is the Ag Technology Success Team Lead for WinField United. She spends much of her time supporting the strategy and subsequent execution of the Decision Ag Technology Portfolio for WinField United. Amanda is also a member of the Agronomy and Product Development Leadership team where she collaborates with the others members of leadership to push the Agronomy and Product Development group to new heights! Amanda has a Bachelors in Wildlife Biology and a Masters in Environmental Science, with an emphasis in Geographic Information Systems.

WinField United Ag Tech Team

WinField United Ag Tech Team

Our industry-leading research and processes translate comprehensive data into actionable insights, allowing farmers to optimize their yield potential season after season.

Elizabeth Woodside

Ag Technology Manager

Elizabeth Woodside is a Technology Manager for WinField United covering western Kansas. In her current role, Woodside devotes most of her time to helping retailers and farmers implement ag technology tools to fit their needs. She facilitates the implementation of the R7® Tool and other precision ag offerings to help farmers understand field variability and increase the bottom line.  Woodside graduated from Fort Hays State University in Hays, Kansas, with a bachelor’s in business administration in marketing and a minor in agriculture. She and her husband live on their fourth-generation family farm near Prairie View, Kansas.

Alex Rust

Product Owner, Answer Tech Data Silo and NutriSolutions

Alex Rust is the Product Owner for Answer Tech Data Silo and NutriSolutions with WinField United, where he spends most of his time assisting the Ag Technology Specialists in driving the adoption of “decision ag” tools across farming communities. Rust provides technical support for sellers utilizing the R7 Tool and other precision ag platforms. When he isn’t providing field support, he enjoys working on the development of new technology. Prior to joining Winfield United, Alex worked for a precision ag company as an intern. He earned a bachelor’s degree from St. Cloud State University.

Mark Heineman

Agronomist

Mark Heineman is an Agronomist in Eastern Nebraska for WinField United.  He spends most of his time supporting local sales staff on agronomic needs and positioning of products. Mark is a Certified Crop Advisor which is a recognized agronomic education commitment system to help train professional agronomists.  Mark is also on the PGR/Plant Nutrition Steering Committee where future strategic decisions are made to enhance and develop this vital component of WinField United business.  Mark has a Bachelors in Diversified Agriculture with Minors in Agribusiness, Ag Economics, and Animal Science.

Travis Holm

District Sales Manager

Travis is a District Sales Manager in Southeastern Nebraska. He works to develop a knowledgeable sales team with his local WinField United retailers. Travis earned his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of Nebraska; and, currently resides in Lincoln, Nebraska.

Tom Ryan

Director of Business Operations, WinField United

Tom is a 20 year veteran of the Land O’ Lakes Federated system.  Tom is a North Dakota State University graduate and began his career with Belgrade Co-op as an Agronomist and Seed Team Lead before becoming Agronomy Manager in 2003.  

Tom joined Land O’ Lakes in 2005 and has held several positions in Winfield Untied including DSM, MAA, Regional Sales Director, National MAA Director and Seed Marketing Director. Tom currently is a member of the Winfield United Leadership Team serving as Director of Business Operations where he leads Customer & Business Services, Data and Analytics, Inside Sales and Customer Experience. Tom has a proven track record in retail sales as well as a strong agronomic background in production agriculture and precision ag.  

Tom is also an active partner in his family’s 1,200 acre corn/soybean farm near Springfield, MN.  He currently resides in Blaine, MN with his wife Kori and their son Jack. 

Ryan Moeller

Regional Technology Manager

Prior to the RTM role Ryan spent 9 years as a Technical Seed Manager for WinField United in the U.S. and Canada working to help build and promote the CROPLAN seed brand and before that worked for three years at a local independent retail cooperative as an Agronomy Production Specialist through Agriliance.  Ryan earned both his Master of Science and Bachelor of Science degrees from North Dakota State University.  Ryan currently resides in West Fargo, North Dakota.

Ryan Miller

Product Owner, Ag Technology Special Projects

Ryan Miller is the Product Owner for Ag Technology Special Projects with WinField United.  He works primarily with the R7 Tool and supports implementation and testing of new features, In-Season Imagery programs, as well as supporting other WinField United Ag Technology offerings.  Ryan holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Wisconsin-River Falls in Geography, and has previously worked for Xcel Energy as a software support specialist, and with the Minnesota Dakota County’s Environmental Management Department.

Ryan Halvorson

Seed District Sales Manager

Ryan Halvorson, Seed District Sales Manager, for WinField United. Ryan has been in the indsutry since 2001. He likes solving problems and giving his retailers the best service he can. With an agronomy degree from South Dakota State University and a farm management degree from North Dakota State College of Science, along with working in the seed industry for 20 years, Ryan brings a lot of experience to his retailers. Training is one of the areas he enjoys most when it comes to working with the retail sales staff.  Outside of work, Ryan enjoys spending time with wife and two daughters.

Rick Behrens

Digital Technology Manager

Rick Behrens, of Red Oak, IA started with WinField United in June of  2011.  He is a graduate of Northwest Missouri State University and holds two bachelor’s degrees in Vocational Agriculture Education and Ag Computer Science plus a master’s degree in Geographic Information Science.  He has thirteen years of experience teaching experience at the high school and community college levels. Rick also has about ten years retail experience working at the local cooperative environment as salesman, branch manager, seed and precision agriculture lead.  Rick has about twenty years of experience of working with precision agriculture between his education and cooperative experience.  

Aaron Seifert

Digital Technology Manager

As a Digital Technology Manager (DTM), Aaron works with ag retailers to create a better customer experience through digital engagement. He helps with the development of a digital marketing strategy and guides the retailer through various phases of that strategy, including web site development and marketing campaign delivery utilizing WinField United’s ATLAS Platform and Data Silo. Prior to joining Winfield United, Aaron spent 5 years at Ziegler, Inc. engaging with growers and retailers around their precision ag hardware needs. He attended Waldorf College in Forest City, IA and earned a Bachelor’s degree in Business Management and Finance. Aaron grew up in Southwestern Minnesota where his family still produces corn, soybeans, and livestock. Today, Aaron enjoys being actively involved in multiple farming operations with his family. Aaron and his wife, Jamie, live in Ankeny, Iowa with their three daughters Avery, Harper and Finley.

Andrew Hartman

Ag Technology Support

Andrew works with the WinField United Agriculture Technology Specialists across the United States to drive the development of technical ability within the agricultural community. His fingers are on the pulse of developing agricultural technology, and he pursues the advancement of farm efficiencies driven by technology. Andrew attended Gustavus Adolphus College in Minnesota and has been in the agricultural industry for years.

Chris Heidrich

Seed District Sales Manager

Chris Heidrich is a Seed District Sales Manager for WinField United in western North Dakota, Montana and Wyoming. He spends much of his time assisting our owners with the adoption of Ag technology on the grower’s farm and in the field.  Chris is a graduate of Bismarck State College. Prior to WinField United, his experiences include the roles of Coop Location Manager, Seed Coordinator and Precision Ag Lead at a Coop in Western ND.

Craig Houin

Data Management Lead at Sunrise Cooperative

Craig Houin joined Sunrise Cooperative in 2010. In 2014, the cooperative’s precision ag offerings were organized as Sunrise Total Precision Partners (TPP), with Houin as head of TPP data management. In this position, Houin demonstrates his keen understanding of precision ag and its potential every day. He has piloted several additions to the R7^® Tool and continues to explore more technologically sophisticated ways to help farmers be successful.
 
Houin was nominated as the 2015 PrecisionAg Awards of Excellence Crop Adviser of the Year. He graduated from Purdue University, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in agricultural economics with a focus on rural development.

 

Drew Garretson

US E Business Field Team Lead

Drew works with local Digital Technology Managers throughout United States in developing their technical ability and coaching them for high performance. He works to develop agriculture technology strategies to support retailers on Digital technology adoption and on boarding with the local Winfield United sales teams and their aligned accounts.  Drew spent almost 4 years as an Agriculture Technology Specialist in Indiana where agriculture technology adoptions continued to enhance the grower experience and yield improving practices.  Before coming to work for Winfield United Drew spent 4 years at the local agriculture retail level helping growers with their agronomic practices and implementation of technology on their farms.  Drew earned a degree in Agriculture Education and a minor in Agronomy Plant; Soil science from Purdue University.  Drew currently resides in southwest Indiana with his wife, daughter and son living on his wife’s family farm.

Jason Dvorak

Digital Technology Manager

Jason Dvorak is a Digital Technology Manager for WinField United covering eastern Kansas and northern and western Missouri. He works with other WinField United staff, coop agronomists, and growers on the adoption and implementation of new ag technology to increase efficiency, economics, and sustainability.  Prior to joining WinField United as an ATS, Jason worked as a Sales Agronomist for 8 years at Ag Partners Coop in Hiawatha, KS. There he worked to build a precision ag program from the ground up while scouting and managing growers fields.  He also was tasked to further incorporating new technologies and products into the coop’s offering as they were developed.  Jason started his career as an independent Agronomist and worked for Seaman Crop Consulting in Hugoton, KS there he scouted irrigated Corn, Soybeans, Cotton, Wheat, and Alfalfa for 6 years.  After growing up on a livestock farm in Southern Missouri, Jason attended Fort Hays State University earning a degree in Agronomy.  Jason currently resides near Hiawatha, KS with his wife Nancy and four daughters.

Jessica Irvine

Content Manager, Digital Transformation

Jessica Irvine is the Content Manager on the Digital Transformation team for WinField United, working with retailers in southern Indiana and the northeastern United States. She supports WinField United sales, as well as in-field application and market implementation of WinField United technologies.
 
Irvine grew up on a farm in southern Minnesota and holds a Bachelor of Science degree from South Dakota State University in agricultural communication and leadership, with an emphasis in agronomy. 
 

Joel Johanningmeier

Ag Technology Manager

Joel Johanningmeier is an Ag Technology Manager for WinField United covering southeastern Minnesota. He works with other WinField United staff, coop agronomists, and growers on the adoption and implementation of new ag technology to increase efficiency, economics, and sustainability.  Prior to joining WinField United as an ATS, Joel worked as a Precision Ag Agronomist for 15 years at Greenway Coop in Rochester, MN incorporating new technologies into the coop’s offering as they were developed.  After growing up on a diversified crop and livestock farm in Northeast Iowa, Joel attended Iowa State University earning a degree in Agriculture Business.  Joel currently resides near Rochester, MN with his wife Katie.

Josh Krieck

Associate Development Manager

Josh Krieck is an Associate Development Manager for WinField United covering California, Nevada and the Pacific Northwest. He works to find value for Agriculture Technology on the diverse crops and cropping systems of the West. He works closely with the WinField United staff and aligned accounts. Josh earned his Bachelor of Science in Agronomy at South Dakota State University. He has spent time as a coop Agronomist in North Dakota and at another coop in Washington before joining WinField United. He and his family currently resides in Kimberly Idaho.

Keaton Krueger

Digital Technology Manager

Keaton Krueger is a Digital Technology Manager for WinField United. He has been part of the agriculture technology team since its inception with the launch of the R7® Tool in 2011. His primary role is to train and support sales staff in their use of agriculture technology platforms. When he isn’t providing field support, he works on the development of new technology, such as the R7® Tool iPad app. Prior to joining Winfield United, he held corn product development roles with multiple seed companies.
 
Krueger earned a Master of Science in Crop Physiology and Seed Science and a Bachelor of Science in Agronomy from Iowa State University. Krueger is based in northeast Iowa.
 

Kelsey Berger

Ag Technology Manager

Within this role, Kelsey utilizes WinField United and partnered ag technology programs to bring value to retailers as they work with their customers. She provides training and technical support to accounts and offers assistance with ag technology at the farm gate.  Before joining the WinField United team, Kelsey held roles in farm management and agronomic sales. She graduated from Wilmington College with a degree in Agronomy.

Matt Mesenbrink

Master Agronomy Advisor

As a Master Agronomy Advisor, Matt helps growers select optimum performing products, such as seed and other crop inputs, uniquely targeted to the needs of their operation.  Growing up and working on a farm he has always had a passion for agriculture.  With a UMM Degree in Agricultural Industries and Marketing, Matt has always had roles tied to the grower with the bulk in the coop system.  Seed has always been a bright spot for Matt and as technology grew his interest leads more to it.  Using multiple information sources along with the retail partner, Matt has helped growers identify opportunities and get the most out of their acres.  Away from work Matt enjoys spending time with his wife and two boys as well as gardening, hunting and fishing.

Zach Vavak

Digital Technology Manager

Zach Vavak is a Digital Technology Manager for WinField United based in St. Louis, supporting retail accounts in Missouri, Louisiana, Arkansas and Mississippi. In his role, Zach helps retailers and farmers successfully implement ag technology into their operations. Prior to his current role, Zach served as a Retail Development Manager for WinField United, after a stint at Black Gold Farms. He holds a Bachelor’s of Applied Science degree in agronomy and crop science from Arkansas State University.

Cameron Pyle

Seed District Sales Manager

Cameron Pyle is a Seed District Sales Manager for WinField United covering South Texas. His passion is to help retailers position products that make sense from an agronomic and economic view for their growers. From his previous work in retail, Cameron understands the challenges sellers and growers face. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in agricultural leadership and development from Texas A&M University.

Nathan Rahe

Technology Manager

Nathan Rahe is a Retail Technology specialist (RTS) for WinField United. In this role, Nathan aids ag retailers on their ag technology needs from an operational perspective. Using a consultative approach of learning current workflows, bottlenecks, goals and priorities, Rahe helps find technology partners that can increase efficiency within their organization – saving them both time and money. Whether it’s for the sales team or on the custom application side, Nathan and the RTS team help implement solutions that fit the retailers’ needs today and align with their goals moving forward. Prior to WinField United, Nathan worked in ag retail as a Crop Consultant. He graduated from the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology with a focus in plant physiology and ecology; also retiring as a collegiate athlete. Today, Nathan lives in Madison, WI and enjoys boating, and spending time on his family farm in Central Illinois.

Emily Alm

Digital Technology Manager

As a Digital Technology Manger, Emily assists Winfield United retail owners go through digital transformation, by helping them with digital marketing, Ag Tech tools, and omni-channel journey.
 
Previously, Emily worked as a Technology Manager, helping retail owners and growers adopt and implement Ag Technology into their operations.
 

Katie Forsberg

Technology Manager

As a Digital Technology Manager (DTM), covering California, Utah, Nevada and the Pacific Northwest. Katie Forsberg works with ag retailers to create a better customer experience through digital engagement. She helps with the development of a digital marketing strategy including web site development and marketing campaign delivery utilizing WinField United’s ATLAS Platform. Prior to joining Winfield United as a Technology Manager (TM), Forsberg worked at multiple private, corporate and university research facilities. Forsberg graduated from Washington State University with a Bachelor of Science in Integrated Plant Sciences with an emphasis in field crop management systems and earned her Master’s in Plant Science from the University of Idaho. 
Forsberg currently resides in Mountain Home, ID.

Brett Bruggeman

President, WinField United

Brett serves as the president of Land O'Lakes' crop inputs and insights business, WinField® United, and executive vice president of Land O'Lakes, Inc. He's focused delivering data-backed, insights driven agronomics, operational excellence and sustainable solutions to help locally owned and operated agricultural retailers meet farmers’ needs.
Prior to his current role, Brett served as senior vice president of marketing and offer development for WinField® United. Brett joined Land O'Lakes, Inc. in 2015 with the merger of the Land O'Lakes and United Suppliers seed and crop protection products businesses known today as WinField® United.