Arlington, VA [May 23, 2022] AgGateway is pleased to announce that Ben Craker is joining the organization as Portfolio Manager, effective June 12, 2022. Craker succeeds Dan Berne in this role, who retired from the organization on April 30.
The AgGateway Portfolio Manager is responsible for the content and management of the non-profit’s work portfolio, including the working groups that develop and maintain the organization’s digital resources. Existing resources include the AGIIS eBusiness Reference Database and the ADAPT precision agriculture toolkit.
Craker grew up on a farm in south central Wisconsin and graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Platteville. His nearly two decades of professional experience with farm equipment manufacturing runs the gamut, from marketing and sales to technology product management. He most recently worked at Kuhn North America as Senior Product Manager, where he focused on hay tools and special crop products.
Craker is also deeply committed to collaborative work as a volunteer and member of agriculture organizations, including the Association of Equipment Manufacturers, the Agriculture Industry Electronics Foundation, and the Agricultural Data Coalition, in addition to extensive volunteer work at AgGateway.
“Through these roles, I have worked to understand and improve the flow of data between machines in the field and software systems, while keeping farmers in control of their data,” says Craker. “I’m looking forward to applying my skills and experience to accelerate collaboration and keep AgGateway’s core projects moving forward.”
“Ben brings a passion for agriculture and tremendous knowledge of the interaction of equipment and data and will contribute a farmer-focused perspective to the challenges we are taking on within the organization,” says Brent Kemp, AgGateway President and CEO. “He will also share his significant project management experience with AgGateway, and I'm very pleased to welcome him onboard. I’m confident that with his leadership, our portfolio team and working groups are in excellent hands.”
“I’ve had the opportunity to work with Ben on a number of volunteer projects in past years serving AgGateway, and I’m pleased to have his skills, talents, and energy here as a member of our staff,” adds Jeremy Wilson, Chief Operating Officer, and North American Director.
Craker will be formally introduced at the AgGateway Mid-Year Meeting, June 13-16, 2022 at Prairie Meadows in Altoona, IA.
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AgGateway is a global, non-profit organization that develops the resources and relationships driving digital connectivity in global agriculture and related industries. For more information visit www.AgGateway.org.
Contact:
Paul Schrimpf Director of Marketing and Communications
+1 (202) 742-5967 x21 paul.schrimpf@AgGateway.org