Key Welcomes New Agronomy Team Members

Key Welcomes New Agronomy Division Manager Nick Sawyer

KEY COOPERATIVE has a phenomenal history of hiring employees who make a life and career within the cooperative system. As we celebrated the announcement of Brent Deppe as our new CEO, our team also had the important task of backfilling his role and hiring a new Agronomy Division Manager. That’s something we hadn’t done in decades.

Enter Nick Sawyer! Born and raised in Tama County, Nick moved to the family acreage when he was 13. It was there he realized he wanted to work in agriculture. After earning a degree in ag studies with an emphasis in agronomy from Iowa State University, Nick took on several internships in the industry before he began his professional career as a Location Agronomist at Heartland Co-op.

Nick continued gaining ag experience as a Seed Advisor Manager for Golden Harvest/Garst, but he soon ventured back into the cooperative system, working for Mid-Iowa Cooperative’s agronomy division, then at Innovative Ag Services as a Business Development Manager. Nick most recently served as the Agronomy Division Manager at Five Star Cooperative. He also farms alongside his father and uncle in Tama County. Their operation includes row crops and cattle. Nick and his wife, Amanda, have two young boys who are just beginning school.

The opportunity to lead the Agronomy Division at Key is just that—a new opportunity for Nick to share his skills, talents and expertise in agronomy with our member-owners.

“I’ve done business with Key and grew up close to the Le Grand location,” said Nick. “I have a lot of respect for what they’ve built and the long-term investments they’ve made in agronomy. The longevity of their leadership is impressive. Ag is changing incredibly fast, but I’m up for the challenge!”

 

New Sharon Welcomes New Sales Agronomist

WE’RE EXCITED TO WELCOME our newest Sales Agronomist, Jack Richolson! Jack is from Illinois. He didn’t grow up on a farm, but that didn’t stop him from diving into agriculture. He holds an ag studies degree from Iowa State University and has experience in row crop farming and agricultural research.

Jack was drawn to Key for the chance to join a values-driven organization that makes a real, tangible impact at the farmgate level.

“I’m most looking forward to the problem-solving side of it,” said Jack. “Working with growers to figure out how we, as a company, can better support them. That means helping their operations grow, while also helping them produce better products that ultimately help feed and fuel the world.”

Technology continues to advance the ag industry, and that is something Jack definitely looks forward to exploring. “So many variables separate a great crop from a poor one, and technology can give us a much clearer understanding of how timeliness and efficiency drive those results,” he said.

Jack joined the Key team this summer and will be serving growers in the New Sharon area. He can be contacted at Jack.Richolson@keycoop.com or 641-637-4097.