As the fall harvest comes into focus in the U.S., agriculture suppliers and companies have been busy themselves, making appointments to go after opportunities in precision ag, autonomy, and hybrid seeds.
In the Aug. 2026 edition of AgNavigator’s Ag movers & shakers column, original equipment manufacturer (OEM) AGCO leads the people news round up with a series of executive team changes, followed by the latest people news from Sabanto, seed company Ohalo, and Landus Cooperative. If you have people news to share, contact AgNavigator’s Americas Editor at ryan.daily@wrbm.com.
AGCO makes PTx central to growth strategy
Machinery giant AGCO made two executive appointments, including appointing Damon Audia to the role of president of PTx and corporate strategy and Indira Agarwal to senior VP and CFO, effective Aug. 1.
Previously serving as senior VP and CFO, Audia will assume the role of president of PTx from Brian Sorbe who stepped away from the company to focus on “other personal and professional priorities,” AGCO stated in a press release. The original equipment manufacturer’s precision ag technology PTx is “central to AGCO’s growth strategy,” the company added.
Having served as chief accounting officer since 2024, Agarwal improved AGCO’s efficiency and profitability, and advanced the company’s strategic mergers and acquisitions strategy.
Audia “has led significant transformation initiatives, including the formation of AGCO’s PTx Trimble joint venture and serves as the chairman of the PTx Trimble joint venture board. His strong farmer-first focus will help drive long-term, profitable growth for our precision ag business. I also want to thank Brian for his many contributions to AGCO and PTx and wish him well for the future,” said Eric Hansotia, AGCO’s chairman, president and CEO, in a press release.
He added, Agarwal “brings vast global experience and deep expertise across accounting, financial reporting and M&A, along with a strong continuous-improvement mindset. She has earned the trust of her colleagues, our executive team and our board, and I am confident she will provide strong leadership as we continue to execute our strategy and create value for our shareholders. Damon and Indira have worked closely together, and this transition places two experienced enterprise leaders in roles where their strengths are closely aligned with AGCO’s next phase of growth.”
Sabanto adds agtech veteran to the board
Autonomous tractor retrofit technology company Sabanto appointed agtech veteran John Raines to its board of directors, bringing more than three decades of agricultural executive experience.
Previously, Raines served as the president of Telus Digital Agriculture & Consumer Goods, where he led the company’s AI, cloud, and consumer business, increasing revenues by double digits, the company shared in a press release. Additionally, he helped commercialize the digital farming platform Climate FieldView, through his work as the chief commercial officer of The Climate Corporation.
Currently, Raines serves on FMC Corporation’s board of directors and the John Deere dealership group Sydenstricker Nobbe Partners. Additionally, he serves as a director of TPNB Bank and is the chairman of its holding company, Paris Bancshares. He holds a B.S. in agriculture system management from the University of Missouri and holds a gubernatorial appointment on the University of Missouri Board of Curators.
“I’m excited about the benefits autonomous technology can deliver to farmers. Between the shortage in labor and the cost of production on farms today, autonomy provides a whole new avenue to drive productivity and return on invested capital,” Raines said in a press release.
Ohalo adds expertise to reinforce Boosted commercialization
Plant breeding company Ohalo appointed Rob Dunlop to the role of VP, global commercial, bringing with him more than 30 years of agronomy, breeding and commercial expertise.
He will manage channel partnerships in this role and develop agronomic and support systems for the company’s Boosted seed products, the company stated in a press release. Ohalo’s Boosted Potato offers an alternative to traditional planting methods and works with standard planter equipment.
Prior to coming to Ohalo, Dunlop served as the chief commercial officer at Inari, and the VP of North America Seed at Nutrien Ag Solutions. He also spent over a decade at Monsanto and the Bayer in the areas of breeding, tech strategy, and sales.
“Ohalo is doing something the seed industry has talked about for decades but never delivered — putting real, scalable improvements in productivity into the hands of growers through true potato seed. I’ve spent my career helping deliver new technology from the breeding program to the field, and I’m excited to help build the agronomy and channel foundation that will drive the adoption of this transformative technology at scale,” Dunlop said in a press release.
Landus Cooperative names executive VP of Agribusiness
Landus Cooperative appointed Aaron Meyerle to the role of executive VP of Agribusiness, effective Sept. 1., where he will lead Landus’ grain merchandising and trading, grain operations, soy processing businesses as well as Landus Agricola in Mexico, the company shared in a press release.
Most recently, he served as VP of grain at AgState Cooperative and previously held leadership roles at ADM, Bunge North American, Green Plains, Union Pacific Railroad, and Western Milling.
