Farmers Business Network (FBN) announced John Vaske will be their new CEO, according to a release. The farmer-to-farmer, AgTech platform announced their current CEO and co-founder, Amol Deshpande, will be stepping down to pursue other interests effective Feb. 28.
Vaske has served on FBN’s board of directors since 2017 and will bring more than three decades of agricultural and technological experience with him. Growing up on a farm in Iowa, Vaske then went on to serve as the head, Americas and head, agribusiness for Temasek until 2021. In his new role, Vaske is focusing on empowering family farms around the world through long-term, sustainable profitable growth.
“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,” added 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.”
