Our Board

Andrew Bish​​ – President

Andrew Bish, from Giltner, Nebraska, is a prominent figure in agriculture, especially in agricultural manufacturing and the hemp industry. As the COO of BISH Enterprises, he’s driven operational excellence in agricultural engineering. Andrew also founded Hemp Harvest Works and became a Founding Partner of Global Fiber Processing, innovating in hemp stalk processing and market development.

His leadership roles extend to the Hemp Feed Coalition as President, co-founding the Nebraska Hemp Industries Association, and serving as a Director at the Colorado Hemp Association. Additionally, he’s Treasurer and Director on the National Hemp Association’s SCOHO Board. Andrew’s work exemplifies his commitment to agricultural innovation and sustainability, notably in hemp feed products and industry advancement.

Wendy Mosher – Vice-President

Wendy is the President & CEO of New West Genetics, a seed genetics company providing innovative genetics for the hemp industry since 2014.  NWG’s expertise is distinguished by the fact the Company created the first US-bred AOSCA certified seed, and the first successful PVP issued on a hemp variety.  Wendy built the Company from inception, securing investment to create and protect the company’s market-leading IP portfolio. As a thought leader in the industry, she is a frequently consulted by regulators to lend her expertise on hemp genetics and production, as well as by multinational companies across traditional agriculture.

To guide the industry forward through realistic regulations, she serves on various hemp regulatory committees and industry associations. Wendy articulates and continues to refine New West’s strategy and vision, raises capital, manages investor relationships, and nurtures strategic partnerships. Prior to working in the hemp industry, Wendy worked in program development for aerospace and technology companies as well as in the education field.

Justin Swanson – Secretary/Treasurer

Justin Swanson is a principal with Bose Public Affairs Group and a member of the state and local government relations team. He has developed a unique multi-dimensional government affairs practice that leverages his public policy expertise with traditional legal skills to effectively advance the interests of his diverse set of clients from small towns to Fortune 500 companies.

Justin is also a partner at Bose McKinney & Evans LLP and chair of the firm’s Cannabis Practice Group, a multidisciplinary team of professionals at the forefront of the rapidly expanding cannabis industry. He is also co-founder and president of the Midwest Hemp Council, which is the leading trade organization in the midwest that is working to build and connect the hemp supply chain.

Prior to joining the firm, Justin served as government affairs director and legislative counsel at Accelerate Indiana Municipalities (formerly known as the Indiana Association of Cities and Towns), advocating for the interests of more than 430 Indiana municipalities across the state. He also served both majority caucuses of the Indiana General Assembly, clerked for the Indiana Public Defender Council, and was a congressional intern in the office of U.S. Speaker of the House John Boehner.

 

Bill Bookout

Bill Bookout is president, board chair, and a founding member of the National Animal Supplement Council, the world’s leading trade association representing manufacturers and suppliers of health and nutritional supplements for dogs, cats, and horses. For over 20 years, the NASC’s successful leadership and advocacy actions have helped to shape and secure the future of the industry and ensure quality supplement products remain available to all stakeholders. Mr. Bookout has been an advocate for the animal supplement industry for over two decades and is recognized as a leading expert on regulatory issues surrounding these types of products. Currently, he serves the American Pet Products Association as Pet Food Consultant and sits on several AAFCO committees. He was named to the Pet Age magazine Power 50 list of pet industry leaders in 2021 and 2022, has testified on behalf of the industry at FDA public meetings, was selected to serve on the Health Canada Expert Advisory Committee for Veterinary Natural Health Products, and has participated in countless educational programs, legal forums, regulatory trainings, trade events and professional meetings.

Mr. Bookout is deeply committed to philanthropy, both personally and professionally. Each year, NASC selects an organization to support through fundraising efforts at the NASC Annual Conference. Past organizations have included Patriot PAWS, Gabriel’s Angels, Best Friends Animal Sanctuary, REINS Therapeutic Horsemanship Program, the Warrior Dog Foundation, Heroes and Horses, and Vested Interest in K9s. Mr. Bookout earned his BSc in physical sciences from the University of Wyoming and his MBA from the Pepperdine University Presidents and Key Executives program. He and his wife, Mary, divide their time between Arizona and Alaska, where they live with their two rescue cats, Marmalade and Yanaha.

Ken Elliott

Ken Elliott is the President and owner of IND HEMP, a hemp food, feed, and fiber company based out of Fort Benton, Montana. IND HEMP is a mission-driven company with a focus on farmers and rural America all while working to bring industrial hemp back as a critical rotation crop and build a supply chain of nutritious ingredients and sustainable materials.  Ken received the first-ever hemp license in Montana back in 2015 and has continued to be an advocate for the industry ever since.

Prior to IND HEMP, Ken worked as an environmental engineer for private industry working to clean up and redevelop contaminated sites throughout North America. Ken is the owner of a Superfund site in Wolf Point, MT, and has planted hemp as a phytoremediation strategy to clean up contaminated soil throughout that site. Hopefully, hemp will provide an alternative solution to cleaning up historically impacted properties throughout the country and create a sustainable opportunity for sites with long-term legacy issues.

When Ken is not working on hemp projects and opportunities he is fully involved with his family’s faith-based non-profit Tikkun Olam Ministries which provides housing solutions to teachers working on the Fort Peck Indian Reservation.

Dr. Raj Kasula – DVM, MS, PAS (ARPAS)

A Veterinarian with a postgraduate degree in Immunology and Nutrition from Marathwada Agricultural University, India, and a Certified Professional Animal Scientist for Poultry (PAS) by ARPAS. 

Raj has worked for over 33 years in the Feed Additives and Animal Nutrition segment, with multispecies experience predominantly in poultry. This involved multi-geographic experiences which have taken him to over 33 countries across the globe. His industry support extends beyond HFC as he is actively involved with the Poultry Science Association and is a past executive member of the WPSA, Singapore Branch. He is currently an executive member of the PennAg Feed, Grain, and Allied Industry Committee; a member of the South Asian Association of Lancaster, PA; a leader on the CRY- Child Rights and You America executive committee; and joint treasurer of the Austin Hindu Temple and Community Center.

Currently, Vice President & Chief Nutrition Officer of The Wenger Group, in Rheems, PA, leading nutrition, quality, food safety, Innovation, and R&D functions; have associated in the past with feed additive and animal nutrition leaders such as Ridley, Inc. (a unit of Alltech), Kemin, Cargill, Mars Pet Food, Prince Agri / Phibro Animal Health, and entrepreneurial experience with own global animal nutrition business development consultancy.

Thomas Nelis

Thomas Nelis is a Senior Marketer with Wilbur Ellis and has been with the company for 13 years. The primary focus of his business is marketing plant-based proteins and oils as feed for the livestock industry of Western Canada, Montana, and the Pacific Northwest. Thomas believes that for hemp to be a thriving commodity in the future, there has to be an outlet for its byproducts and off-spec grain. Like many of the specialty crops before, the livestock industry is a great opportunity to be that outlet, which is why it is important to have regulatory approval to utilize that market.

Thomas lives in Lethbridge, Alberta with his wife, Christyn, and 2 children, Gavin and Madison. In their free time, you’ll catch them boating on Flathead Lake in the summer and skiing at Castle Mountain in the winter months

Steering Committee

 Ben Raymond

 

Ben Raymond is the Director of Research and Development with Victory Hemp and has always been passionate about real, healthy, delicious food. He earned a BS in Nutrition and Food Science at the University of Vermont followed by an MS in Food Science at North Carolina State University. He then joined DD Williamson and progressed to Innovation Scientist during his six years with the company. Ben is highly skilled in emulsion formulation and processing, natural color extractions, membrane separations, density separations, chromatography, spray drying, pasteurization, and applications and development of specialty crops. Working from initial concept ideation to process development at an industrial scale, he is an expert in the entire product development life-cycle. Ingredients he has developed are used in food and beverage products made by some of the largest CPG brands in the world. Ben recently completed an entrepreneurship-focused MBA front at the University of Louisville. He joined Victory Hemp to accelerate the innovation of great-tasting, functional, nutritious hemp grain ingredients.

Vanessa Snyder

 

Vanessa Snyder has a strong passion for health and well-being stemming from studies in nutrition.  This led her into the hemp industry, where today she serves as the Business Development Director for Hemp and Botanicals within Eurofins, an industry-leading nutrient, contaminant, and microbiology laboratory with 90+ years of experience.  In her role, she assists the hemp industry in meeting the needs for reliable testing and development of sound quality programs, while continuing to drive support for standardization within the industry.  With over 12 years working in food and beverage, feed, and dietary supplements, Vanessa applies her knowledge to aid those working with hemp to maintain safe, high-quality products.

Mrs. Snyder is proud to be a part of the Hemp Feed Coalition, the American Herbal Products Association, and the United Natural Products Alliance.  Vanessa holds a Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Wisconsin–Madison in Dietetics. She has served as Treasurer for the Wisconsin IFT, Secretary for the Wisconsin Lab Association, and Board Member of the HFC and HIA.

 

 Randy Stratton

 

Randy Stratton started a public relations consuming firm in 1992. The Stratton Group provided strategic planning and media relations to companies in the agriculture, energy, and technology industries. He has been in all aspects of agriculture since growing up on a farm in South Dakota.

Randy graduated from Augustana University with a BA in Business Administration and English Literature. He then worked in Sioux Falls in the software and advertising industries for a few years before starting his company. He has worked in several areas in the agriculture industry representing and consulting with agri-tech firms, biofuels, and biotech industries.

After working a few years in support of hemp legislation and lobbying in South Dakota and Iowa, he realized that to get the industry moving and new markets developed, additional support and advocacy through the Hemp Feed Coalition and other trade groups was necessary. His advocacy work includes North America and a few South American countries.

 

 Chris Webb

 

Christopher Webb is a lifelong conservationist and outdoorsman, attributing his passion foron the outdoors to an ever-strengthening desire to improve the world around us. An Environmental Science and Geology graduate of Texas Christian University, Chris continued his formal education at the University of Denver Sturm College of Law, receiving a Master’s Degree in Natural Resource and Environmental Law; pursuing a focus on the creation of value from the non-use of Environmental Resources.

The knowledge gained from his formal education was continuously supported by the years spent alongside his late father, establishing and growing the Wildlife Habitat Federation, a non-profit organization singularly focused on the Re-establishment of Native Grasslands within the State of Texas. These lifelong passions and experiences, sentiments shared with his fellow founders, led to the creation of Cannon Republic Feed and Fiber, Inc. in 2021. Cannon Republic utilizes all means in its effort to restore soil health, including the implementation of industrial hemp. The incredible diversity of uses, especially within the focus of hemp grain as a feed Ingredient, led Chris and Cannon Republic to be included in the HFC.

 

Staff

Morgan Tweet – Executive Director

 

Morgan Tweet is a founding partner and CEO of IND HEMP which is a hemp food, feed and fiber company located in Fort Benton, Montana.  Morgan graduated from the University of Missouri with a BS in Chemical Engineering, then worked for Archer Daniels Midland in Decatur, Illinois launching her career in agriculture and food processing. Morgan and her father Ken Elliott founded IND HEMP with a mission to create new and rewarding opportunities for rural, agriculture communities and have slowly started to see the fruits of their labor in the farms and families they contract and work with.

Working with the Hemp Feed Coalition was a no brainer, and she understands the value a diverse group of producers and processors brings to the table as we all try to tackle the hurdles ahead in the hemp industry. Morgan has served as the Executive Director for over two years and has been instrumental in the current work with AAFCO and FDA-CVM for the first ever application for a new hemp ingredient definition.

 

Kristine Ely – Research Consultant

 

Dr. Kristine Ely recently defended her PhD and now serves in a postdoc position where she will continue to focus on industrial hempseed uses in horses as well as work involved with sustainability in grazing lands management. Kristine is passionate about educating and informing horse owners on how to better manage their pastures for healthier horses and healthier lands. At this time she offers pasture management and nutrition consultations for local horse farms.

She is experienced in both traditional and extension-based teaching. Additionally, Kristine spent time in the veterinary health field as well as sales as the local equine specialist where she worked with some great horsemen here in the heart of horse country.