When commodity prices swing wildly and farmers face impossible decisions about when to sell their crops, Xiaoli Etienne steps into the chaos with real-world solutions.

Born in southeastern China and educated at the University of Illinois, Etienne holds the Idaho Wheat Commission Endowed Chair in Commodity Risk Management at the University of Idaho. Her innovative approach combines futures prices with cash market data to create more accurate forecasts. She leads the nation’s only individually funded commodity trading program where students manage real money in agricultural futures and options markets.

Her most significant recent accomplishment was developing a groundbreaking commodity price forecasting model that rivals USDA’s preferred systems, offering farmers better tools for navigating volatile markets when traditional predictions fall short.

The Agricultural Commodity Risk Management program has revolutionized hands-on learning, preparing students for careers in commodity trading, merchandising and risk management while her research on price bubbles, market forecasting and supply chain analytics helps Idaho farmers make informed decisions in an increasingly unpredictable marketplace.

Whether it’s helping a rancher’s product reach a new market or assisting a rural producer in connecting with a farmer’s market for the first time, Tammie Halcomb’s work as the executive director of FARE Idaho matters.

Over the course of her career, she’s focused her roles on economic development and local business and has also spent time working with city governments. When she was introduced to the role at FARE Idaho, she knew that it would combine her passion for strengthening communities with her deep appreciation for food and agriculture.

In the last year and half, Halcomb has led the organization through a period of rapid growth through increased membership and expanded programs, all without losing sight of each member’s lived experiences and stories. Under her leadership, the organization has increased its visibility statewide.

She said, “By creating opportunities for collaboration, education and advocacy, we’re helping Idaho’s food system become more resilient, connected and sustainable for the long term.”

For more than three decades, Jamey Higham has been a titan in the potato industry, culminating in nearly four years at the helm of the Idaho Potato Commission. His recent triumph was masterminding the 2024 Big Idaho Potato Truck tour, a monumental journey that spanned 67 cities, covered 22,000 miles, and cultivated more than $10,000 for charity, all while spotlighting Idaho’s iconic crop.

Born and raised in Shelley in Idaho’s potato country, Higham earned a political science degree from Brigham Young University and an MBA in international marketing from Arizona State University’s Thunderbird School of Global Management. He worked in agricultural lending and spent five years with Ford Motor Company before returning to the potato industry.

Under his leadership, the commission has reduced expenses by 9% and overhead by 14% while maintaining high-profile promotional programs including the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl and partnerships with major food festivals.

Higham previously served as president and CEO of Farm Fresh Direct and spent 13 years as vice president of sales at Potandon Produce.

When Jennie Jones Hall walks into a room, she sees potential in the transformational partnerships waiting to be forged between donors and educational dreams. Recently, she successfully closed five separate $1 million gifts during her tenure at the University of Idaho, raising more than $5 million in just two years while managing corporate and foundation relations.

Hall joined Lewis-Clark State College in 2021 after a distinguished 21-year career at the University of Idaho, where she held progressively responsible positions from campaign manager to director of corporate and foundation relations. A 1999 U of I graduate with a degree in elementary education, she managed portfolios of 150-plus prospects at the $25,000 and above gift level and developed expertise in strategic communications, event planning and executive administrative support.

Hall revolutionized LCSC’s advancement efforts by launching campaigns like Warrior Giving Day and strengthening connections between educational initiatives and Idaho’s agricultural community.

She was recently accepted into the prestigious Leadership Idaho Agriculture Class 45 based on her commitment to bridging the gap between higher education and the industries that drive Idaho’s economy.

When skeptics said 80 acres of Idaho desert would never yield a crop worth selling, Blaine Larsen proved them spectacularly wrong. What they didn’t know was that ancient volcanic forces from nearby Yellowstone had created perfect potato-growing conditions beneath that seemingly barren landscape.

Larsen’s most significant recent accomplishment has been building one of America’s largest potato operations, Larsen Farms, now spanning thousands of acres across Idaho, Colorado and Nebraska with global distribution networks.

Larsen founded the family business in 1966, transforming his initial desert plot into a vertically integrated agricultural empire. The company grows, packs and distributes potatoes under its own brand while also producing processed potato products including crushed, diced, dehydrated and sliced varieties for major food manufacturers like Frito-Lay and Procter & Gamble’s Pringles operation.

Under his leadership, Larsen Farms has developed expertise spanning biochemistry to marketing, operating sophisticated packing facilities that gently clean each potato with fresh water and utilize electronic bagging machinery to meet exacting quality standards for retail and foodservice customers worldwide.

Garrett Lofto has agriculture and food in his blood. Growing up on a farm in Canada, inside of an incredible family, the importance of family and food were instilled in him.

When he began working at the J.R. Simplot company in 1992, it was a natural fit and ever since then, he’s been integrally involved in growing the company and seeing rapid advancements in the industry that he knows so well.

He said, “My work has been aligned with the J.R. Simplot Company since day one and you don’t have to look very hard to see all of the things that Mr. Simplot did and that today’s Simplot Family continues to do, as well as the thousands of employees who have called Simplot home, have done because of their love for the state.”

Outside of this work, Lofto enjoys volunteering in the community and has served as a high school coach, on the board of Boise Metro Chamber of Commerce, Ronald McDonald House Charities of Idaho and more.