AgGateway celebrated the achievements and contributions of leading volunteer members during its annual Awards Ceremony at its 2025 Annual Meeting and Conference in Clearwater, Florida, USA.
“We appreciate the contributions of everyone who shares their time and talent to support our work, and today is our opportunity to recognize those that have gone above and beyond the call,” says Brent Kemp, AgGateway President and CEO.
The AgGateway in Action Award celebrates individuals and organizations that have made specific contributions of time and resources over the past 12-18 months. The North American recipient for 2025 is Trisha Rentschler, with Kahler Automation.
“Trisha exemplifies what we celebrate through the AgGateway in Action Award, says Jeremy Wilson, EVP/COO and North American Director. “She joined the North American Steering Committee two years ago and has been a very active volunteer from the beginning. And in her new role at Kahler, Trisha has gone out of her way to talk about the value of AgGateway and the messages and the digital resources that we’ve created in her networking and social media activity.”
She’s also been a huge advocate for new members, finding new people to invite to join and connecting them to staff members for follow-up. “Her commitment to the mission of the organization and passionate work on our behalf as a volunteer made her a clear choice for this honor,” adds Wilson.
The AgGateway in Action recipient from the Latin America Region is Marcelo Abreu of Venturus.
“Marcelo has been a member of AgGateway Latin America since beginning, contributes greatly to our regional meetings, and actively promotes our mission and work in the country,” says Jose Alexandre Loyola, LATAM Regional Director. “He and his company are also actively promoting the Modus standard in Brazil. We are thrilled to have his participation and pleased to recognize him with this honor.”
Ron Storms Leadership Award celebrates long-term participation in projects over multiple years, recognizing sustained commitment to bringing new resources to the industry. The 2025 recipient is Julie Mathey of GROWMARK, Inc.
“Julie has been a long-time volunteer member dating back to our earliest work within the Ag Retail group and on Seed Connectivity,” says Wilson. She’s been active in leadership roles throughout her time at AgGateway, including service as Chair of the North American Steering Committee in 2025.
“Julie goes out of her way to stand up and agree to lead sessions, and is always willing to share how GROWMARK implements and uses AgGateway digital resources within their organization and how they’ve implemented them,” says Wilson. She also works with other members to help them implement these digital resources to improve efficiency and interoperability.”
The President’s Award, chosen at the discretion of the President of AgGateway, recognizes individuals or organizations that have gone above and beyond in the support of the organization and its mission to develop the resources and relationships that drive digital connectivity.
The 2025 recipient, AGDATA, has been a member since the origination of AgGateway, and has been a strong supporter throughout its participation. “Earlier this year, AGDATA offered to sponsor and host an in-person End-User ID working event that drew 60 participants and provided an excellent atmosphere for building consensus,” says Kemp. “Within the last year, we really wanted to recognize their consistent and notable support of AgGateway and its resources.
“They have also sustained support for AGIIS implementation with customers and advocated for the use of that resource,” he adds. “For all these reasons this was the right time to honor the company for all its contributions over the past 20 years.”
The Ron Farrell Attitude Award, which debuted at the 2023 Annual Meeting, celebrates the contributions of one of the organizations founding members, who inspired countless members with his optimism and collaborative spirit.
The 2025 recipient, Jami Young of Land O’Lakes, is “really everything that we would want to see in a volunteer,” says Kemp. “Jami is super engaged and very committed to the work that she’s doing within the organization. She’s also not afraid to share her thoughts and opinions, but always in a constructive way that honors everyone else’s view in the room. I’m pleased and proud to be recognizing Jamie with the Ron Farrell Attitude Award this year and look forward to her continued contributions.”
