GOVERNANCE

Jason Klootwyk is the Chief Executive Officer of Agtegra Cooperative. Jason has been with Agtegra since 2019 and has held roles of Chief Operating & Risk Officer and Senior Vice President, Grain Marketing & Rail Logistics with the company. He joined Agtegra from Bunge North America where he held multiple positions, including Director of North America Origination, Director of Interior Assets, and Center Gulf Region Manager.

Jason is currently a member of the board of directors of the National Grain and Feed Association, a trustee on the National Grain and Feed Foundation, and a past chairperson of the Indiana Grain & Feed Association. He is a graduate from Iowa State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Ag Business.

Paul has more than 30 years of experience in finance and has provided key financial insights to increase efficiency and drive profitable growth across various industries.  He has held several leadership roles in organizations including KPMG, Cargill, and MTS Systems Corp.  Paul’s career highlights include integration of finance operations for numerous acquisitions, oversight of international growth with cost management/margin improvement, implementation of new ERP systems, creation and execution of financial processes, and leadership of multi-cultural business and finance teams.
 
His education and credentials include a Bachelor of Science Degree in Accounting from Minnesota State University – Mankato and CPA certification in Minnesota.

Mike Rizor joined Agtegra as Chief Operating Officer in February 2023. In this role, Mike is responsible for leading all company operations through a passionate personal safety vision and strong desire for continuous improvement and outstanding customer service.  He also oversees all aspects of safety, operational execution, transportation, application and dispatch, capital planning, and operational efficiency.

Mike is an experienced operations executive with over 30 years of industry experience, including leadership roles with Land O’Lakes, Cargill, and Agspring.  Throughout his career, he held roles as the Vice President of Operations, Director of Strategic Sourcing, Transformation Program Manager, and Operational Excellence Leader.  His accomplishments include operational excellence through building excellent safety cultures, continuous improvement, and cost containment. He prioritizes employee engagement and collaboration as cornerstones for the success he has had in his career. 

His education includes a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Iowa’s Tippie College of Business and a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology.

Kristi Johnson leads Agtegra’s human resources team as the chief human resource officer. Kristi joined Agtegra in December 2023 with over 30 years of experience in the human resources field, having served in various human resources director roles for companies such as Black Hills Energy, Midco and POET. Kristi grew up on a farm near Flandreau, South Dakota, and later graduated from Southwest Minnesota State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration.

In her role, Kristi is responsible for providing human resources leadership and strategy across the organization. Over the course of her career, Kristi has revamped talent acquisition processes and programs to develop internal talent and attract strong external candidates in addition to creating and developing highly functional and strategic human resources teams and establishing policies, procedures and programs for employees.

Kristi holds certifications from the Society of Human Resource Management as a Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) and a Senior Certified Professional (SCP) and has previously served as a board member for Dress for Success Black Hills and the Southeast Society of Human Resources.

Mike Traxinger serves as senior vice president and general counsel for Agtegra and has worked for the cooperative for over eight years. Mike leads Agtegra’s legal department, compliance, corporate governance, contractual transactions, public policy, and assists with board governance and relations. He is a native of Claremont, South Dakota and is also a fifth-generation South Dakota farmer. He received a J.D. from Drake University Law School with a focus in agricultural law and a B.A. from the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities.
 
In addition to his role at Agtegra Cooperative, Traxinger maintains a small herd of cattle on his family’s farm operation, Traxinger Simmentals, and is a row crop farmer. He currently serves as president of the South Dakota Association of Cooperatives, on the board of directors of Northern Electric Cooperative, co-chairs the Agricultural Law Committee of the State Bar of South Dakota and is a past president of the American Agricultural Law Association (AALA).
 
Traxinger is a member of AALA, the Association of Corporate Counsel, Minnesota State Bar Association, State Bar Association of North Dakota, State Bar of South Dakota and a Class VII alumnus of the South Dakota Agricultural Rural Leadership program. In 2016, Traxinger received the AALA Excellence in Agricultural Law Award.

Daryl’s agriculture career began in 1988 as a Sales Representative with the Monsanto Company. The Madison, S.D. area native, has also served as Area Business Manager, Distribution Development Manager, and Strategic Account Manager all with the Monsanto Company. He previously served as the Vice President, Regional Business Lead – Central Plains at Bayer CropScience in St. Louis.

Daryl is committed to serving the ag-industry by utilizing strategic business experience in the ag input sector. He will leverage strong business and people leadership skills along with deep-rooted agricultural experience to contribute at an executive level position.

Daryl is a graduate the University of Nebraska – Lincoln with a B.S. in Ag-Business and Finance. Daryl and his wife Kirsten have two children, Jakob and Hannah, both of whom are currently attending college.

Travis leads Agtegra’s Grain Division including driving its origination strategy, leading product lines, and overseeing rail logistics. Travis joined Agtegra in 2009 as a Grain Merchandiser. He has held numerous positions in his 13 years with the company including domestic corn trader and Director of Origination.  Since October 2021 Travis has led product line teams as well as the commodity risk committee in addition to his responsibilities as Wheat Product Line Manager.  Antonsen is a graduate of South Dakota State University with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Ag-Business.

Milt joined the Agtegra team as the West Region Manager in August 2020. In April 2022, he gained the responsibility of leading the day-to-day operations for the energy and feed divisions as the divisions’ vice president. Prior to joining Agtegra, Milt worked in a variety of roles for CHS for 33 years.

In his role, Milt leads strategy and direction for both energy and feed divisions. Milt is also a past member and president of the South Dakota Association of Cooperatives, past member of South Dakota Grain & Feed Association and current  member of the South Dakota and North Dakota Petroleum and Propane Marketers Associations.

Originally from Long Valley, South Dakota, Milt received his bachelor’s degree in business administration from Dakota Wesleyan University.