Farm-To-Power today announced the appointment of Joe Heinrich, a lifelong Iowa farmer, as the organization’s new Executive Director. Heinrich’s deep roots in farming and proven leadership in agricultural advocacy as the former Executive Director of Smart Carbon Network and Vice President of the Iowa Farm Bureau, will guide Farm-To-Power as it expands its work to help raise the voices of farmers, ranchers, and rural landowners in America’s energy conversation.
Farm-To-Power was founded to empower farmers, ranchers, and rural landowners to advocate for their rights, tell their stories, and help shape the energy decisions that directly impact their land, livelihoods, and communities. With Heinrich at the helm, the organization is building on its foundation to grow its grassroots community of farmers and ranchers, strengthen partnerships with other agricultural focused organizations, and change the narrative in rural communities around renewable energy.
“Farm-To-Power is evolving to meet the moment,” said Ben Kelahan, Interim Executive Director and Co-Founder of Farm-To-Power. “Joe represents the best of what our organization stands for: a farmer’s perspective, strong leadership, and a vision for how agriculture and renewable energy can work hand-in-hand. His hiring is an important milestone as we take Farm-To-Power to the next level.”
Heinrich and his family farm in eastern Iowa, where they manage a diversified farming operation that includes a dairy, beef cow-calf herd, corn, soybeans, oats, and alfalfa. During his tenure at Smart Carbon, he played a key role in bringing a farmer’s perspective to the carbon capture discussion to help guide strategies and public dialogue. While at the Iowa Farm Bureau he worked to ensure that family farmers had a strong voice in state, regional, and national policy, collaborating with county, state and national officials on key agricultural issues and policies.
His leadership experience, combined with decades of firsthand knowledge of farming, positions him to guide Farm-To-Power through its next phase of growth.
“I know firsthand the challenges and opportunities facing farmers today, and agriculture and energy together can be a solution. It doesn’t have to be either or,” said Heinrich. “I am honored and excited to be part of a community that is helping protect opportunities for rural Americans by ensuring we play a central role in helping supply the energy needs of Americans now and into the future.”
