FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Tuesday, January 18, 2022
Contact: Maggie Eason, Ceason@LeadingHarvest.org
ARLINGTON, VA, January 18, 2022 – Leading Harvest, a U.S. nonprofit advancing sustainable agriculture and food production through its unique universal Farmland Management Standard, announced today that it has named Andrew Lauver as the organization’s director of programs and strategic alliances.
Lauver, from a fifth-generation family farm in Iowa, brings to Leading Harvest deep experience in agricultural supply chains and partnership development. An expert in commercial sales and industry relations, including managing key commodity and grower group relations, he has broad exposure across the agriculture sector, including international farm and animal agricultural study experience in in Europe, Asia, and South America.
“We are thrilled to welcome Andrew to our Leading Harvest team, where he will lead the roll out of our Farmland Management Standard across agricultural supply chains in the U.S.,” said Leading Harvest President and CEO Kenny Fahey. “Andrew’s broad experience and deep commitment to sustainable agriculture, coupled with his talent for building strong partnerships, will help drive the implementation of our certification program at scale across the U.S.”
Lauver comes to Leading Harvest from the agricultural company Syngenta, where he most recently led a commercial sales team, and previously served as the company’s manager for industry relations for North America. He has worked in a variety of roles in the U.S. Senate, the Iowa House of Representatives and the American Seed Trade Association. His volunteer efforts have benefitted organizations ranging from the World Food Prize and the Iowa Corn Growers to the Farm Bureau and the Chicago Council on Global Affairs.
“Having grown up on a family farm, I know firsthand how Leading Harvest’s innovative Farmland Management Standard will help growers achieve sustainability outcomes, providing farmers increased market access while optimizing their operations,” said Andrew Lauver, Leading Harvest’s director of programs and strategic alliances. “I am eager to begin working with Leading Harvest and alongside growers to increase awareness, adoption and implementation of the Farmland Management Standard.”
A graduate of Iowa State University with a degree in agricultural studies, Lauver earned a master’s degree in agribusiness from Kansas State University, and a master’s degree in jurisprudence in agricultural law and sustainability from the Drake University Law School. He has been named a Future Giant of the Seed Industry by Seed World Magazine and was featured on both the AgGrad “30 under 30” and the Seed World Magazine “20 under 30” lists.
Leading Harvest’s Farmland Management Standard is the first scalable, industry-wide solution to urgent issues facing us – from climate change and biodiversity to the resilience of our cropland’s soil and community. The rapid adoption of the Standard underscores the enormous global interest in sustainable farmland.
A photo of Andrew Lauver can be found here. More information on Leading Harvest can be found at www.LeadingHarvest.org.
About Leading Harvest
Leading Harvest is a nonprofit organization committed to increasing adoption of sustainability practices in agriculture. It was formally organized in 2020 by and for all stakeholders across the agricultural value chain—from farmland owners to companies to communities. The organization provides assurance programs comprised of standards, audit procedures, training and education, and reporting and claim offerings that are optimized for flexibility, scalability, and impact.
