Jennifer Holdgreve, top, and Kyle Fergason, above, joined NCGA this week.

Aug 18: The National Corn Growers Association welcomes two new employees – one at each office – this week as it replaces its longest-serving employee, retired Washington office manager Maud Jenkins, and fills a crucial new St. Louis staff position to help the expanding National Corn Yield Contest.

In Washington, Jennifer Holdgreve became the new office manager Monday. Holdgreve previously served as director of operations at the Corn Refiners Association, and was employed by the American Farm Bureau Federation for nine years, where she held several different positions, including director of legislative services and director of conventions and meetings. Holdgreve graduated from the University of Kansas with a degree in Business Administration.

“With her professional qualifications and experience in agriculture associations, Jennifer is a terrific match for our needs,” said NCGA Vice President for Public Policy Jon Doggett. “She is admirably suited to the fast pace and varied demands of our office and will be a great resource in Washington for our visiting growers.”

Also Monday, Kyle Fergason joined NCGA’s St. Louis-based Research and Business Development team as the National Corn Yield Contest specialist. Fergason will be assisting with all areas of the contest, such as entry and harvest data, communications with participants and industry partners, rules development and implementation, award programs and other responsibilities. The contest has seen remarkable growth in the past few years; the number of entries in 2008 was more than double the 2006 number. Fergason, a Carrollton, Mo., native, graduated with honors from the University of Missouri with a bachelor’s degree in Agriculture Management.

“The National Corn Yield Contest has been a valuable membership benefit and an important tool for our organization for more than 40 years,” said Max Starbuck, who directs the program for NCGA. “As our number of entries continue to grow and as interest in the program expands, Kyle will be a large part of making sure we meet grower expectations and all important deadlines while finding ways to take this popular effort to the next level.”