SPEAKERS
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Patrick Fuchs
Chairman
Surface Transportation Board
Newly appointed Surface Transportation Board Chairman Patrick Fuchs will discuss the Board’s 2025 focus on transparency, accountability, and collaboration in transportation.
Patrick Fuchs was designated as Chairman of the Surface Transportation Board by President Donald J. Trump, effective January 20, 2025. He was sworn in on January 17, 2019, as a Member of the Board and re-confirmed by the U.S. Senate on May 14, 2024. His second term expires on January 14, 2029.
Prior to his appointment, Mr. Fuchs was senior professional staff member working on surface transportation and maritime issues for the United States Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation under the leadership of Chairman John Thune of South Dakota.
Sunday March 9 | Transportation Open Forum
Joseph Hinrichs
President & CEO
CSX Transportation
In a fireside chat, Hinrichs and NGFA leaders will review the Class I railroad’s operations and CSX’s advancements in culture, customer service, safety, and technology.
Joseph R. Hinrichs, a leader with more than 30 years of experience in the global automotive, manufacturing, and energy sectors, was named President and Chief Executive Officer of CSX in September 2022. Hinrichs brings to CSX a commitment to operational excellence, experience building global businesses through investment in people and culture, and a deep understanding of balancing safety and efficiency in a complex industry. In 2025, he was named the Railway Age Railroader of the Year, honoring his “immediate and long-term positive impacts on the freight rail industry.” This recognition highlights the various initiatives he has spearheaded at CSX to create a more collaborative and customer-centric culture while improving the dynamic between management and rail labor.
Hinrichs previously served as President of Ford Motor Company’s global automotive business. Hinrichs holds a Bachelor of Electrical Engineering magna cum laude from the University of Dayton and an MBA from the Harvard Business School. He also holds an Honorary Doctor of Human Letters from Tiffin University and an Honorary Doctor of Science and Business Administration from Cleary University.
Monday March 10 | General Session
Jake Joraanstad
CEO
Bushel
The next wave of AI advancements will be around embedding generative AI and machine learning within existing workflows and systems, known as AI agents. Forward-thinking organizations will harness these autonomous decision-making capabilities to optimize operations – learn why.
Jake Joraanstad is the CEO of Bushel, an independently owned and operated software company headquartered in Fargo, N.D. Bushel is focused on bringing innovative software products and solutions to the agriculture value chain. Since launching in 2017, Bushel’s software powers 3,500+ ag retail and grain facilities and reaches over 100,000 farmers across the U.S. and Canada with real-time business information for their producers.
Tuesday March 11 | General Session
Mark Purdy
Executive Vice President
The Directions Group
Mark Purdy, Executive Vice President of the The Directions Group agri-food team, joins us at convention to discuss the geopolitical forces currently shaping agriculture and provide key intelligence insights to help you develop business strategies to succeed in this current complex environment.
Mark Purdy graduated from West Point, served as an Army Colonel, and has 30 years of leadership experience. His roles included leading combat units and managing large security portfolios. He was also Director of Wargames Operations at the U.S. Army War College. Raised on an Ohio farm, he holds master’s degrees in Strategic Studies and Military Operational Art.
Tuesday March 11 | General Session
David Wasserman
Senior Editor & Political Analyst
The Cook Report with Amy Walter
The 2024 elections ushered in full GOP control of the White House and Congress, albeit with narrow majorities in the House and Senate. In an engaging and strictly nonpartisan presentation, David Wasserman takes audiences on a tour of the trends that defined the 2024 election and what’s in store for Washington in 2025 and beyond.
David Wasserman is the Senior Election Analyst for the non-partisan newsletter, The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter, and a contributor to NBC News. Founded in 1984, The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter provides analyses of U.S. presidential, Senate, House, and gubernatorial races. The New York Times called The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter “a newsletter that both parties regard as authoritative. Prior to joining the The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter in 2007, Wasserman served for three years as House editor of Sabato’s Crystal Ball, a widely respected political analysis newsletter and website founded by renowned University of Virginia professor Larry Sabato. A native of New Jersey, Wasserman is a graduate of the University of Virginia, where he was awarded the 2006 Emmerich-Wright Outstanding Thesis prize.
Monday March 10 | General Session