An Independent Network of Senior Operators

We bring the relationships on day one.And stay until the work is done.

Most consultants build relationships after they are hired. Our members already have them. Senior operators across the ag value chain, with the partners, regulators, investors, and grower contacts you would otherwise build from scratch.

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The Team

Six independent practices. One front door.

Senior people who have personally led the kind of work you are now trying to do.

Portrait of Brent Boydston
Brent Boydston
AgCenter Solutions

Agribusiness strategist with 20+ years in trade, policy, and industry affairs. Previously led corn, cereal grains, digital agriculture, and carbon programs at Bayer Crop Science.

Advises ag and AgTech clients on government relations, grower organization strategy, and the partnerships that bridge innovation and policy.

Focus areas Government Relations · Trade Policy · Grower Organizations · Coalition Building · Sustainability
LinkedIn
Portrait of Lisa Humphreys
Lisa Humphreys
Independent

Brand and communications strategist with deep experience in ag and food industry marketing. Partners with emerging companies to clarify brand purpose, craft consistent messaging, and develop client personas.

Translates technical expertise into compelling, trustworthy narratives.

Focus areas Brand Strategy · Client Personas · Messaging Architecture · Repositioning · Commodity Groups
LinkedIn
Portrait of Matt Luetje
Matt Luetje
M2L Ag Consulting LLC

Business development consultant with two decades of experience connecting agricultural innovators, consultants, and startups. Specializes in bridging strategy and execution.

Helps AgTech and ag-input companies define commercial pathways, build collaborative teams, and accelerate market adoption.

Focus areas Business Development · Partnership Strategy · Commercial Pathways · Alternative Biofuels · Network Building
LinkedIn
Portrait of Janice Person
Janice Person
Grounded Communications LLC

Nationally recognized agricultural communicator with extensive experience in corporate communications and public outreach.

Helps organizations tell authentic stories about farming and technology while building trust among stakeholders, consumers, and industry partners.

Focus areas Ag Communications · Consumer Trust · Stakeholder Engagement · Editorial Strategy · Environmental & Crisis Comms
LinkedIn
Portrait of Jon Riley
Jon Riley
Riley Consulting LLC

Agricultural consultant with 24+ years across production agriculture, global ag input companies, and AgTech innovation. Previously at Monsanto, Bayer, and Valent.

Helps companies bring new ag technologies, from biotech traits to crop protection and digital tools, from development through commercialization.

Focus areas Product Commercialization · Go-to-Market Strategy · Product Stewardship · Divestiture
LinkedIn
Portrait of Carly Scaduto
Carly Scaduto
Scaduto Photography & Comms

Communications and marketing consultant with expertise in brand storytelling, digital engagement, and media strategy across agriculture and food. Background in journalism and visual content.

Helps companies articulate their value, manage issues that cross into the public eye, and connect authentically with consumer audiences.

Focus areas Brand Storytelling · Digital Engagement · Visual Content · Consumer Outreach · Issues Management
LinkedIn
If your need is outside our six core specialties we can usually find someone who is the right fit. We have known and worked with a small group of independent ag specialists for years; we will tell you when one of them is a better match than we are. More on how we handle this.
Our Mission

Most consultants build relationships after they're hired. ACME brings them on day one, and stays until the work is done.

We exist for ag, food, and adjacent innovators ready to grow. The commercial relationships, ecosystem intelligence, and sharp acumen that turn promising innovation into market reality.

Our Values

What you should expect from us.

Four things we believe, and the way we run every engagement.

Conflict-Free by Design

Trusted, unbiased advice with no hidden agendas. Each member runs their own practice; ACME is the shared front door, not the employer. That structural independence is your asset, and the reason objective guidance from us means something.

Better Together Than Apart

Networked expertise delivers what no single consultant can alone. We bring the right specialist for your problem, or assemble the whole team. Information, strategy, and partners; not just introductions.

Decades in the Room Before You Walk In

Senior leadership with deep agricultural roots. We do not learn the ecosystem on your dime. We already know it, and we already know the people in it.

We Win When You Win

Our credibility is built on results and integrity. We deliver what we promise, stand behind our recommendations, and offer fee structures that align to your outcomes. Project, retainer, or success-based.

Who We Help

A few examples. Not the limit.

Most of our work is in agriculture. We also work with companies in food, ingredients, biotech, and adjacent industries. Based in St. Louis, working US and international. If your problem is on this list, send us a note. If it isn't, send one anyway.

01

Founders and Operators

Raising, scaling, or running.

Founders raising $1M to $50M in ag, AgTech, food tech, or adjacent. Or CEOs running a mid-sized company who need a senior fractional CMO, head of BD, or head of policy without hiring full-time.

02

Investors and Funds

Diligence partners, or portfolio support.

Funds evaluating a deal in ag, food, biotech, or industrial-adjacent. Or portfolio companies needing operational help the fund cannot supply on its own. We speak both science and commercial scale.

03

Boards, Programs, Coalitions

Trade groups, nonprofits, USDA-funded.

Commodity boards, mission-led nonprofits, USDA and grant-funded programs, and coalitions needing senior strategy, communications, and market development without permanent headcount.

The Heart of AgTech

We have spent careers in the densest ag innovation ecosystem in the world.

St. Louis. From here we know the institutions, the funds, the regulators, and the grower networks that move modern agriculture. We do not list our contacts on a website. That is what the engagement is for.

$25.7B
Local Ag GDP

Agribusiness contributes $25.7B to St. Louis metro GDP. 176,000 jobs and counting.

500 mi
to 80% of Corn & Soy

Within a day's drive of where we sit: 81% of US soybean and 78% of US corn production.

#1
Plant Science

More plant science professionals than any other US region.

Sources: St. Louis AgriBusiness Club 2025 Economic Study; USDA 2022 Census of Agriculture.

We work US and international. Where we sit just makes day one easier.

No Big Deal

Working on something? Curious if we are a fit?

Send us a quick note. A few sentences is plenty. We will reply within one business day with honest thoughts. Whether that is "yes, let us talk," or "here is someone better suited."

Send us a note

No commitment. No pitch. No instant call. Just a low-stakes message you write at your own pace.