Advisory Board

• First Bank and Trust Company

Kelley Ayres serves as Chairman of the Board and Trust Officer for First Bank and Trust Company in Minden, Nebraska, bringing more than four decades of experience in agricultural finance, banking and rural community leadership.

A native of Smith Center, Kansas, Ayres grew up on a livestock and crop farm. He began his career in agricultural finance as a student trainee with the Farmers Home Administration before joining the North Central Kansas Production Credit Association, where he worked in Concordia and Mankato, Kansas. In 1985, he joined First Bank and Trust Company and was named President in 1995. He continues to serve the organization as Board Chairman and Trust Officer.

Throughout his career, Ayres has been actively involved in the banking industry, serving two terms on the Nebraska Bankers Association Board of Directors and Government Relations Committee, as well as participating in its Management, Lending and AIB committees. He also holds a Nebraska Real Estate Broker's License.

Ayres attended Dodge City Community College and earned his bachelor's degree in Agricultural Economics from Kansas State University in 1981, followed by his Master of Agribusiness from K-State in 2015. He also completed the Graduate School of Banking in Madison, Wisconsin, in 1988.

Active in his community, Ayres serves as Chairman of the Kearney County Health Services Fund and has contributed to numerous community and church boards. A longtime martial arts enthusiast, he holds a fifth-degree black belt in Tang Soo Do and serves as an assistant instructor.

Ayres serves on the Kansas State University Master of Agribusiness Industry Advisory Board, bringing expertise in agricultural lending, financial management and rural business leadership to the program.

• Labache Ag

David Casterline serves as Chief Operating Officer for Labache Ag, bringing extensive experience in agricultural operations and business management. Since earning his bachelor's degree, he has managed a farming operation, developing practical experience in the day-to-day operations and strategic decisions involved in agricultural production.

As Chief Operating Officer, Casterline recognizes the importance of continued professional development and expanding his business knowledge to support effective leadership and organizational growth.

A two-time Kansas State University graduate, Casterline earned his bachelor's degree in Agribusiness in 2012 and his Master of Agribusiness in 2026. He pursued his MAB degree to strengthen his business and management expertise while continuing his professional career.

Casterline serves on the Kansas State University Master of Agribusiness Industry Advisory Board, bringing both an agricultural operations perspective and the experience of a recent MAB graduate to the program.

• Glenray Farms

Raymond (Ray) Cesca is an experienced international business leader with extensive expertise in global agriculture, food supply chains, market development and international trade. He serves as Chairman of Glenray Farms, an organization focused on improving agricultural practices and advancing modern swine production technologies in China. He is also an Advisory Board member of Agrivida, Inc., an agricultural biotechnology company, and serves on the board of Aslan Group, Ltd., which operates crop and vegetable farms in Ukraine.

Cesca previously served as Managing Director of World Trade for McDonald's Corporation, where he focused on reducing international trade barriers and strengthening global supply chains. During his tenure, McDonald's expanded from 30 to 118 countries and more than doubled its international business. He also held leadership positions in global purchasing and international procurement, helping support the company's expansion into new markets.

Prior to his work with McDonald's, Cesca spent 15 years with CPC International, where he led a strategic business unit focused on expanding American food brands into international markets. From 2006 to 2008, he served as President of the World Agricultural Forum, an organization dedicated to addressing critical challenges facing global agriculture.

Throughout his career, Cesca has held leadership and advisory positions with numerous international business and agricultural organizations, including the U.S.-ASEAN Business Council, Pacific Basin Economic Council, U.S. Council for International Business and World Agricultural Forum. His contributions to agriculture and international business have been recognized with the Corporate Conservation Leadership Award.

Cesca earned his Bachelor of Science from St. Bonaventure University and his Master of Business Administration from Columbia University. He also pursued additional executive education through the University of Southern California's School of Food Management and Stanford University's Decision Theory Forum.

Cesca serves on the Kansas State University Master of Agribusiness Industry Advisory Board, bringing expertise in international agribusiness, global supply chain development, strategic leadership and agricultural market expansion to the program.

• CoBank

Tanner Ehmke serves as Lead Economist for Grains and Oilseeds in CoBank's Knowledge Exchange research division, where he provides market and industry analysis of the wheat, corn, soybean and rice sectors. His research focuses on emerging trends, market conditions, and the risks and opportunities affecting agricultural producers and businesses.

Prior to joining CoBank in 2015, Ehmke farmed and marketed seed for his family's seed company in western Kansas, where his family has farmed since 1885. He remains actively involved in farming today. His previous experience includes serving as a commodities analyst at AgResource Company in Chicago, a markets reporter for Dow Jones at the Chicago Board of Trade, and an agricultural journalist covering crop production and farm business management.

Ehmke earned both his bachelor's degree in Agricultural Economics and his Master of Agribusiness from Kansas State University.

He serves on the Kansas State University Master of Agribusiness Industry Advisory Board, bringing expertise in agricultural commodity markets, economic analysis and production agriculture to the program.

• Zoetis

Brandon Garrett serves as Regional Business Director for Zoetis, a global animal health company specializing in pharmaceuticals, vaccines, diagnostics, genomics and animal health technologies. In his role, he leads a team of eight area business managers across the Midwest.

Garrett joined Zoetis in 2008 and has held positions across multiple segments of the animal health industry, including equine, companion animal, dairy and beef. His experience provides a broad perspective on the business, sales and leadership challenges facing the animal health industry.

Raised on a grain and swine farm in east-central Illinois, Garrett developed an early passion for agriculture that has shaped his professional career. He earned his bachelor's degree in Animal Science from Texas A&M University and his Master of Agribusiness in 2013 from Kansas State University.

Garrett serves on the Kansas State University Master of Agribusiness Industry Advisory Board, bringing expertise in animal health, business development and regional sales leadership to the program.

• AGCO Corporation

Grant Good is an experienced engineering leader with AGCO Corporation, a global agricultural equipment manufacturer. His career has focused on agricultural machinery engineering, product development and testing, with an emphasis on advancing equipment technologies and supporting innovation in the agricultural industry.

Good began his career with AGCO in Hesston, Kansas, following his undergraduate studies at Kansas State University. He has held engineering leadership responsibilities involving the development and testing of agricultural equipment, combining technical expertise with an understanding of agricultural operations and business management.

A two-time Kansas State University graduate, Good earned his bachelor's degree in Agricultural Technology Management in 2007 and his Master of Agribusiness in 2013. His MAB thesis examined the feasibility of diesel-electric hybrid drives for combine harvesters, reflecting his interest in the intersection of agricultural engineering, technology and business decision-making.

Good serves on the Kansas State University Master of Agribusiness Industry Advisory Board, bringing valuable industry experience and an alumni perspective to the program.

• U.S. Sugar

Jeana Hines serves as Senior Director of Ingredient Solutions at U.S. Sugar, bringing extensive experience in sales, marketing and business leadership within the food and consumer products industries. Throughout her career, she has held senior leadership positions focused on sales strategy, brand management, business development and customer relationships across industrial, consumer, distributor and foodservice markets.

Prior to joining U.S. Sugar, Hines served as Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Imperial Sugar, where she oversaw sales and marketing activities across multiple business channels. She joined Imperial Sugar in 2006 and advanced through several leadership positions, continuing in her executive role following the company's acquisition by Louis Dreyfus Company in 2012.

Earlier in her career, Hines spent 18 years with S.C. Johnson & Son, Inc., holding positions in sales, analytics and business leadership. Her professional experience also includes roles with Solo Cup Company and Randall's Food Markets.

A Kansas State University alumna, Hines earned her bachelor's degree in Business Administration in 1986. She serves on the Kansas State University Master of Agribusiness Industry Advisory Board, bringing expertise in food industry marketing, strategic leadership and business management to the program.

Outside of her professional career, Hines enjoys reading, running, gardening and supporting community organizations, including local food pantries and Habitat for Humanity.

• Kansas State University

Dr. Aleksan Shanoyan is a professor in the Department of Agricultural Economics at Kansas State University, where he has served on the faculty since 2012. His research focuses on agribusiness economics and management, agri-food marketing and international development, with particular emphasis on supply chain resilience, food security, consumer behavior and emerging technologies in agriculture.

Shanoyan's current research explores the resilience of agri-food systems, the economics and marketing of pet food, applications of artificial intelligence and information technologies in agriculture, and the development of agri-food supply chains in emerging economies. He teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in food and agribusiness management, marketing and strategy.

A nationally recognized educator, Shanoyan was awarded the Mary L. Vanier Professorship in 2026 and named a Coffman University Distinguished Teaching Scholar in 2024. His numerous honors include K-State's 2026 Presidential Faculty Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching, the 2025 Distinguished Teaching Award from the Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, the 2025 Outstanding Undergraduate Teaching Award from the Western Agricultural Economics Association, and the USDA's 2020 Excellence in College and University Teaching in Food and Agricultural Sciences Regional Award.

Shanoyan earned his bachelor's degree in Economics and Accounting from Armenian Agricultural Academy in 2003, his master's degree in Agricultural Economics from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2007, and his Ph.D. in Agricultural, Food and Resource Economics from Michigan State University in 2011.

He serves on the Kansas State University Master of Agribusiness Industry Advisory Board, bringing expertise in agribusiness education, industry-focused research and emerging trends affecting global food and agricultural systems.

• Cargill Animal Nutrition

Larry Whipple serves as Senior Director of Revenue Management and Analytics for Cargill Animal Nutrition's North American business. In this role, he leads a team responsible for pricing feed, pet food and freight across 67 manufacturing facilities in the United States and Canada. He also oversees data and business intelligence activities and the company's rotational Management Associate program.

Throughout his career with Cargill, Whipple has held numerous leadership positions spanning operations, merchandising, pricing, risk management and business strategy. His experience includes serving as Worldwide Merchandising Manager for Cargill's global animal nutrition business, District General Manager, Regional Business Manager, and Risk Management and Sourcing Director. He also played a key leadership role in integrating Southern States Cooperative's feed business following its acquisition by Cargill in 2017. He was named to his current position in 2019.

Whipple is a two-time recipient of the Cargill Animal Nutrition President's Club Award and has served on the company's North America Business Leadership Team. He has also been actively involved in strengthening industry and university connections through Cargill's Higher Education Initiative with Kansas State University and the company's recruiting activities at K-State.

A Kansas State University alumnus, Whipple earned his bachelor's degree in Agricultural Economics. He serves on the Kansas State University Master of Agribusiness Industry Advisory Board, bringing expertise in animal nutrition, business analytics, strategic pricing and organizational leadership to the program.

• Agri-Pulse Communications, Inc.

Sara Wyant is President of Agri-Pulse Communications, Inc., an agricultural communications company with offices in Washington, D.C., and Missouri. A veteran agricultural journalist and farm policy reporter, she is widely recognized for her coverage of issues affecting agriculture, food and rural communities.

As the leader of Agri-Pulse, Wyant oversees news coverage of agricultural policy, commodity and conservation programs, international trade, food safety, rural development, and environmental and regulatory issues. The company's publications include Agri-Pulse, Daybreak and Daily Harvest, providing agricultural professionals, policymakers and industry leaders with timely news and analysis. She is also a frequent speaker at agricultural and commodity organization events nationwide.

Throughout her career, Wyant has held numerous industry leadership positions, including chair of the Farm Foundation Board of Trustees, president of the American Agricultural Editors' Association and at-large representative on the National FFA Foundation Board of Trustees.

Wyant received the 2026 Women in Agribusiness Executive Leadership Award, recognizing her leadership and contributions to the agricultural industry. Her other professional honors include recognition among Folio's Top Women in Media in 2015, the United Soybean Board's producer communications award, the American Agricultural Editors' Association's Oscar in Agriculture award, an Agriculture Future of America leadership award, and recognition for outstanding service to agriculture from the Missouri Farm Bureau.

Raised on a farm near Marengo, Iowa, Wyant maintains strong ties to production agriculture through her family's farming interests in Iowa and North Dakota.

Wyant earned her bachelor's degree in Journalism and Political Science from Iowa State University in 1980, where she served as editor of the Iowa Agriculturist.

She serves on the Kansas State University Master of Agribusiness Industry Advisory Board, bringing expertise in agricultural communications, public policy, industry leadership and emerging issues affecting agriculture.