Bruce Rastetter

Bruce L. Rastetter is an American agribusinessman, agricultural entrepreneur, and former president of the Iowa Board of Regents, which governs the state's three public universities. He is a well known megadonor to the Republican party.

Early life and education

Rastetter was born near Iowa Falls, Iowa. He attended the University of Iowa, studying political science.[1]

Career

Business

In 1994, three years after the birth of his first company, he consolidated his feed management, construction, and swine projects into Heartland Pork Enterprises.[2] Rastetter created Hawkeye Energy Holdings in 2003, now one of the nation's largest pure-play ethanol producers.[2][3]

Rastetter first became involved with the Iowa Board of Regents in 2011, becoming its president in 2013. His term expired in 2017.[4] He serves on governing and advisory boards of a variety of organizations, including Cultivation Corridor, AltEnergy LLC, Rural American Fund, American Agriculture and Energy Council, Iowa Renewable Fuels Association, and the college of agriculture at Iowa State.[5]

Rastetter founded Summit Agriculture Group,[6] which includes Summit Carbon Solutions, a company asking the Iowa Utilities Board for a permit to build a pipeline from Iowa ethanol plants to carry carbon to underground storage in North Dakota.[7]

Politics

Rastetter is a well-known Republican donor, donating more than $1.5 million to state and federal political campaigns since 2003.[8] In 2015 Rastetter announced the inaugural Iowa Agriculture Summit to address the political initiatives and interests of farmers and agriculture in the state, such as GMO's, nutrition labeling, food waste, and biotechnology.[9] Mike Huckabee, Chris Christie, Donald Trump, Ted Cruz, Rick Santorum, Scott Walker, and Jeb Bush attended the event, located within the Iowa State Fairgrounds.[10]

In January 2017, shortly before the White House transition, Rastetter voiced his opposition to pending mega-mergers in the agriculture industry, such as those concerning Bayer, Monsanto, Dow Chemical, ChemChina, and Syngenta. He stated, "Mergers like this have the potential to put into motion irreversible damage to agriculture."[11][12]

See also

References
  1. Bruce Rastetter, CEO, Alden, Iowa: Summit Agricultural Group, 2013, archived from the original on 16 January 2017, retrieved 14 January 2017
  2. Bruce Rastetter, Chicago, Illinois: Rural American Fund, 2015, archived from the original on 18 January 2017, retrieved 14 January 2017
  3. President, Urbandale, Iowa: Board of Regents, State of Iowa, 2016, archived from the original on 18 January 2017, retrieved 14 January 2017
  4. Iowa Regents tap Michael Richards to replace Rastetter as next president, Des Moines, Iowa: Des Moines Register, 2017, retrieved 28 May 2017
  5. Executive Profile Bruce L. Rastetter, New York, New York: Bloomberg, 2017, archived from the original on 16 January 2017, retrieved 14 January 2017
  6. "Our Team". Summit Agricultural Group. Retrieved 2023-08-30.
  7. "Opinion: Summit's clout is winning out". The Gazettte. 2023-08-26. Retrieved 2023-08-30.
  8. The real Iowa kingmaker, Arlington County, Virginia: Politico, 2015, archived from the original on 16 January 2017, retrieved 14 January 2017
  9. "Bruce Rastetter, the One Iowan Who Got Jeb Bush To Care About Hogs", NBC News, Des Moines, Iowa, 2015, archived from the original on 16 January 2017, retrieved 14 January 2017
  10. Bruce Rastetter: The quiet, fierce man behind ag summit, Des Moines, Iowa: Des Moines Register, 2015, retrieved 14 January 2017
  11. Trump adviser Rastetter wants mega-mergers, like DuPont Dow, blocked, Des Moines, Iowa: Des Moines Register, 2017, retrieved 14 January 2017
  12. Kilen, Mike. "Bruce Rastetter: The quiet, fierce man behind ag summit". Des Moines Register. Retrieved 2020-11-02.
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