Who we are

Formerly president and CEO of West Central Cooperative, Kucerak oversaw significant growth in its branded dairy nutrition products. Previously Kucerak was director of credit at Purina Mills, Inc. (now a part of Land O’Lakes, Inc.) and leader of Purina Ag Capital, a small national bank system. Kucerak was also with Farm Credit Services for 17 years, where he held a variety of leadership roles. He earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Albany (New York) and an MBA from Syracuse University’s Martin J. Whitman School of Management.

Miner brings to Landus Cooperative three decades of cooperative experience. He was previously chief financial officer/vice president of administration at Farmers Cooperative. He was also location manager at Mid-Iowa Cooperative and began his career at his family’s agronomy company, Miner Farm Supply.

Bell is responsible for the overall operations of Landus Cooperatives facilities, direction of the millwrights and large capital projects. Additionally, Bell serves on the board of directors for three joint venture companies in which Landus Cooperative has an equity stake. Previously Bell was with Cargill for 10 years where he was U.S. crop inputs product line lead and regional agronomy leader for U.S. grain and agronomy. Bell was also with Syngenta, Ag Partners LLC and AGB. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Iowa State and his MBA from Purdue.

DeJongh is responsible for the strategic direction of grain policies, inventory and quality control policies, as well as farmer-facing grain marketing programs, including our Cooperative Advantage Packages. His experience includes domestic and international grain marketing, operations, P&L responsibility and supply chain management. Previously he was senior vice president at Columbia Grain and held several leadership roles at AGP Grain Ltd. He has an agricultural business administration degree from the University of Minnesota.

Risdal is responsible for the cooperative’s marketing, communications and business development planning. Additionally, he oversees Landus Cooperative’s customer experience focus. His experience includes research and development, sales, marketing and management at Key Cooperative and Land O’ Lakes. Most recently, he was a senior product manager with WinField United. Risdal holds a bachelor’s degree in agriculture from Iowa State University.

Thomas oversees the human resources, safety and quality departments, including recruitment, talent development, payroll and benefits, employee relations, safety programs, quality management and regulatory compliance. Previously, she was with an Emerson business and Todd & Sargent and has more than 20 years of human resources experience. She holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Northern Iowa and a MBA from Iowa State University. Thomas has earned SHRM-SCP accreditation by the Society for Human Resource Management and SPHR certification by the HR Certification Institute.

Cullen is responsible for Landus Cooperative’s dairy, beef and swine nutrition manufacturing businesses. Under his leadership, SoyPlus, SoyChlor and PasturChlor branded dairy nutrition products, which are marketed domestically and internationally, saw significant growth. Cullen has more than 20 years of experience in the cooperative system in management, sales and manufacturing operations, including oversight for HACCP and ISO certifications. Cullen holds a bachelor’s degree in agricultural business from Northwest Missouri State University.

Barker oversees Landus Cooperative’s technology, integrating every aspect of the business and providing real-time data internally and to customers. In his nearly three-decade career, Barker has implemented business intelligence strategies, modernized companies’ online presences and improved customer experiences. Barker has served in IT leadership roles at Ingram Barge Company, The Manitowac Company and Ford Company. He graduated from Purdue University and holds PMP Certification from the Project Management Institute.

Unruh oversees Landus Cooperative’s agronomy business, including sales, marketing, product procurement and precision ag. Previously he enjoyed a long career in various segments of the agriculture industry, at companies that include Winfield United, John Deere Financial and Helena Chemical. Unruh holds a bachelor’s degree in business from Ashford University.