John Vaske to join FBN^® as Chief Executive Officer

Farmers Business Network (FBN^®), the global AgTech platform and farmer-to-farmer network, announced the appointment of John Vaske to the role of Chief Executive Officer. FBN Co-Founder and current CEO Amol Deshpande will step down as CEO effective February 28 to pursue other interests.

Vaske steps into the role having served on FBN’s Board of Directors since 2017. Raised on a farm in Iowa, Vaske brings more than three decades of expertise in agriculture and technology, and most recently has served as the Head, Americas and Head, Agribusiness for Temasek (until 2021), one of the world’s most active global agri-food investors. In his new role with FBN, Vaske will lead the company’s next chapter with a focus on long-term, sustainable profitable growth by empowering family farms around the world.

″FBN was founded with the mission to improve the profitability of family farms and assist the great small business entrepreneurs in rural America. While much has changed since founding, the mission has not. I am proud of what our team has accomplished and the impact we have had, building to a scale that hardly anyone expected when we started," said Amol Deshpande, Co-Founder and current CEO of FBN. ″John has been on the board of FBN for five years and has a family farming background. This mission alignment makes me excited about his future as CEO of FBN and the prospects for our continued growth.″  

″Having grown up on a farm in Iowa, I know firsthand the challenges of the work farmers do and recognize deeply the impact it has on the broader economy. Amol and the team founded FBN to empower farmers and enhance their livelihoods," said Vaske. ″FBN has grown from a digital analytics network to a full commercial platform, spanning over 55,000 farmer members, supporting farmers with nearly all aspects of their operations. Our growth has been remarkable so far, but FBN is just getting started serving farmers. I’m excited to partner with the team to scale a technology-powered, farmer-centric commercial system for agriculture.″

FBN Board Chair Kathleen Ligocki added: "Amol and the FBN team have done the unimaginable since founding FBN nine years ago. FBN has become a global platform disrupting one of the most complex, difficult and entrenched industries in the world, with one of the world’s most important customers, family farms. Humanity’s future literally depends on our farmers, and Amol and the team had the vision and tenacity to challenge the system to create a more financially and environmentally sustainable farm system. I believe that John, as a proven expert in agriculture and technology companies, is exactly the right person to lead the company, as it continues to transform the agricultural system in the coming years.″

The announcement comes on the heels of several announcements: in recent months the company has released Bridge Loans for farmland and surpassed $1 billion in producer financing, launched its livestock partnership with Boveta Nutrition™, its strategic collaboration with Greeneye Technology Precision Spraying System, and held its most successful Farmer2Farmer event ever in Omaha, Nebraska.