Landus Appoints New Leader after CEO Leaves
- Dave Price
- 3 days ago
- 2 min read
Sam Caton will take over as Landus Cooperative’s interim CEO after the previous leader resigned following criticism about the company’s financial performance, allegations the company denied. Previous CEO and President Matt Carstens told KCCI-TV in Des Moines, Iowa, in January that Landus fired 10% of its staff as it moved toward helping farmers use artificial intelligence. Three months later, Carstens was no longer with the company.
Landus is a Des Moines-based grain, seed and agronomy service company and stated on its website that it serves 5,500 farmers in 34 states and 16 countries. The company announced on April 4th that Carstens stepped down from his role.
Landus said that Board Chairman Matt Chambers would serve as acting CEO.
“Matt has been a dedicated and forward-thinking leader, and we sincerely appreciate the many contributions he made during his tenure with Landus. The search for both an interim and permanent successor will prioritize identifying an individual with a deep understanding of the cooperative’s mission and the needs of its farmer-owners,” Chambers said in the news release.
Four days later, the company announced that Caton would temporarily lead until a permanent CEO takes over.
Chamber said, “We have full confidence in Sam’s abilities to guide Landus forward as the interim CEO. His sincere appreciation for the farmer-owners we serve has quickly built trust within the organization and helped him develop a deep understanding of our operations and vision. We have full faith in his leadership as we start the next chapter at Landus and implement the search to identify our next CEO.”
RELATED: Matt Brown, who leads Landus Cooperative’s AcreEdge portfolio, told American Farmland Owner last July about the importance of the company’s new fertilizer plant.
