Industry Experts

Ag Policy Editor Chris Clayton is well-known for his ability to understand and communicate agriculture policy to all audiences. He has been with DTN since 2005 and has been recognized as “Writer of the Year” by the American Agricultural Editors’ Association multiple times. He has also won the Glenn Cunningham Agricultural Journalist of the Year Award from the North American Agricultural Journalists and served as the group’s president in 2012-13. The National Farmers Union and American Coalition for Ethanol have also each named Chris as the Communicator of the Year.

Todd is the Lead Grain Marketing Analyst at DTN. He regularly presents information on grain marketing strategies that help farmers make critical marketing decisions throughout the year. Todd began his career as a broker with Delta Futures Group in Omaha, where he relied on DTN for news and market quotes. Todd joined DTN where he enjoys commenting on the grain markets. Todd is a 1981 graduate of the University of Nebraska at Omaha and has lived in the Omaha area for most of his life.

Cliff serves as the Canadian Grain Analyst for DTN. He has worked primarily as a merchant for the past 25 years in the western Canadian grain industry. He has a passion for the study of the markets and working with producers to help identify and manage potential market risks. He regularly blogs at https://www.dtnpf.com and shares market information with farmers and agribusinesses.

Mary Kennedy has been in the grain business for more than 25 years. She’s worked in the Minneapolis, Duluth-Superior, and PNW markets as a buyer/merchandiser. She specializes in spring and winter wheat, durum, corn, barley, pulse crops, and various other small grains. Mary is a native of St. Paul, Minnesota, and has lived in North Dakota and Wisconsin. She has experience as a commodity buyer in local grain elevators and an ethanol plant. Mary has been a member of the North Dakota Grain Dealers Association and has served as the secretary of the Durum Industry Advisory Commission. She also served as a board member at the Portland Merchants Exchange and was a member of the arbitration committee at the Minneapolis Grain Exchange.

Dana is a Senior Market Analyst for DTN and has 30-plus years of experience in the commodity futures industry. Dana began as a wheat buyer and cash grain merchandiser for General Mills and International Multifoods. He was an independent member of the Kansas City Board of Trade and spent 15 years as a broker/trader there. Dana moved to Omaha in July 2012 to work as a proprietary futures/options trader and began writing daily market wires, as well as advising producers on marketing. He brings that experience to farmers and agribusinesses looking to understand market positions and marketing strategies.

Troy Vincent is a market analyst at DTN. He’s been in the economic research and energy risk management industry for nearly a decade, from large multinationals like Schneider Electric and Ingersoll Rand to innovative technology startups like ClipperData. Troy specializes in crude oil and refined products, and has a thorough understanding of economics and monetary policy, which gives his readers a deeper understanding of market moves and indicators than basic supply and demand levels.

Liubov Georges is an energy analyst with DTN. She has covered the energy industry for more than six years, including as an oil and gas market analyst in New York City and Washington, D.C. Liubov graduated New York University with a master’s degree in Economics and Energy Policy, where she focused on geopolitics of energy, statistical analysis and political risk. While in graduate school she worked as an Oil Market Reporter at Axelrod Energy Projects and Natural Gas Market Analyst at Energy Policy Research Foundation in Washington, D.C. At both positions she provided technical and economic analysis on regional and international markets, with exposure to petroleum and financial industries. Liubov earned her bachelor’s degree in International Relations from Moscow State University, where she completed extensive coursework in geopolitical strategy and international political economy. She frequently wrote articles for the Institute of Modern Russia Civil Society Group.

Jim Block, Certified Consulting Meteorologist, has more than 35 years of experience in commercial meteorology. At DTN, Block is responsible for the integration of weather into agricultural applications, as well as weather and forecast content used in the products and services provided by DTN. Jim has participated in the development of products pioneered at DTN and is the holder of seven patents on weather technology. He has testified in front of US Congressional committees on matters of the private sector and its relationship to National Meteorological Services. He earned a BS and MS in Meteorology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He is a Certified Consulting Meteorologist and a past President of the National Council of Industrial Meteorologists. In 2010, Block was elected as a Fellow by the American Meteorological Society, an honor given to less than 0.2% of the membership of the Society.

Jim Foerster is one of 198 Certified Consulting Meteorologists (CCM) in the world. CCMs are experts in the application of weather information to a host of practical challenges. He serves as Director of Meteorology Services for DTN, the largest business-to-business weather organization in the world. He and his team provide weather forecasts and consulting services in the aviation, transportation, marine, energy, agriculture, and safety markets.