WOODVILLE, OHIO, US — Luckey Farmers, Inc. on Oct. 6 announced the hiring of Dustin D. Brown as the cooperative’s president and chief executive officer effective Oct. 25.

Brown becomes the 11th president in the company’s 102-year history and replaces retiring CEO James Swartz.

Prior to joining Luckey Farmers, Brown was profit center manager for The Andersons, Inc., where he led the company’s oat program since 2017 and received an award for Best Managed Profit Center within the Trade and Processing Group, in 2020.

From 2011-17, Brown was an account manager within the oat program and oversaw the purchase of two Canadian grain elevators. Prior to his tenure with The Andersons, he was an operations manager at Kelly Outsourcing and Consulting Group at Kraft Foods. Brown also owns and operates his family farm, Brown Farms, within Wood County.

“Dustin comes to Luckey Farmers with a deep understanding of what makes up a farmer-owned cooperative,” said John E. Moore, chairman of Luckey Farmers’ board of directors. “He brings a wealth of senior management experience and a proven track record within the agricultural sector. We look forward to beginning an exciting new chapter for Luckey Farmers under Dustin’s leadership.”

Brown holds a bachelor’s degree in business management and a master’s of business administration degree in organization leadership and marketing, both from The University of Findlay.

Luckey Farmers was established in 1919 and is a grain marketing and farm supply cooperative located in Northwest Ohio, with locations in Lucas, Ottawa, Sandusky, and Wood counties. With close to 700 members, Luckey Farmers consists of six grain facilities, three agronomy centers and three fuel stations.