About

Al has been working in commodity brokerage since 1987. He began his career in his then hometown of Schaller, Iowa, where he gained foundational knowledge of Speculating and hedging. Later, he had the opportunity to work at a grain elevator in his current hometown of Casey, Iowa. There, he developed a marketing service focused on hedging grain and livestock for customers, in addition to handling grain merchandising for the elevator. This experience allowed him to build strong relationships with local producers and understand their specific needs. Al is currently the branch manager for CommStock in Casey. He is dedicated to providing excellent service to his clients. In his free time, he enjoys fishing, golfing, and spending time with his five children and three grandchildren.

Joe Camp is Director of Managed Programs at Market Focus LLC, a division of CommStock Investments. His role is to assist producers with the full-service grain marketing programs offered by CommStock’s line of Market Focus managed pricing products. He has been a trusted source of grain marketing advice for producers across the Midwest while providing hedge recommendations and order execution services as a Series 3 licensed broker. He is a published writer and accomplished presenter on agricultural markets. Joe earned a master’s degree after completing an economics fellowship at Eastern Illinois University.

Lori Carter was born and raised in New Mexico. She graduated from New Mexico State University with a BS degree in Animal Science, where she participated on the NMSU Jr Meats Judging team. Lori moved to Garden City, Kansas, to work in Quality Control at Val-Agri Beef Packing. Lori later worked as an ag technician under Dr Gerald Greene at the Kansas State University experiment station. In 1989, Lori went to work as a commodity broker for GC Marketing, where she has been since, as GC Marketing later became Gerber Commodities, and now CommStock Investments. Lori has worked with mostly agricultural clients, assisting them with Risk management for their livestock and ag products, for 30 years. Lori has also been involved in local activities, including Beef Empire Days, SW Kansas CattleWomen, and KSU Extension.

Zach Hooker is a licensed broker and insurance agent in Ault, Colorado. Zach has an Associate’s Degree in Business Administration and Management, and a BS in Animal Sciences from Colorado State University, where he was also a member of the Livestock Judging Team. After graduating, he worked for a large cattle feeder in a variety of roles before making the transition into brokerage. Zach is Series 3 licensed, holds a crop insurance license, and is certified in Livestock Risk Protection insurance. He looks forward to using his expertise to help clients and their businesses. Outside of work, Zach enjoys fishing and spending time with his wife, Brelynn, and their three young children.

Justin McKinney is the Branch Manager in the Rochester, MN office. Justin grew up on a dairy farm in Southwest Wisconsin where he continues to manage his family grain and livestock farm today. He has worked the last twenty years in the grain merchandising industry and has experience in domestic and export markets. He currently resides in Rochester, MN where he helps farmers manage their production risk on both cash and futures. In his spare time he enjoys boating, hunting, volunteering at Season Hospice and attending sporting events or traveling with his wife, Annie.

Eric is the Branch Manager for our home office in Royal Iowa. Offering complete risk management solutions for Ag producers, Eric is a licensed broker as well as a licensed crop, livestock, property & casualty insurance agent. His primary role is to assist Ag producers with grain and cattle risk management, but has a large portfolio of speculative traders as well. He comes from a family of farmers, cattlemen and business owners from the heart of feedlot country in Western Kansas. Passion for the cattle industry led Eric to spearhead the livestock insurance division of CommStock Investments, offering multiple strategic plans for cattle growers and feeders. Outside of the office he enjoys outdoor recreation, auto rebuilding and spending time with his wife Chandra, their 4 children and spouses, as well as their 3 grandchildren.

Having deep roots in agriculture, David grew up on a grain and livestock farm in Northeast Missouri, near Hunnewell. After graduating from the University of Missouri with degrees in Agricultural Economics and Agriculture Systems Management, he accepted a position as a grain merchandiser with a major corporation, bouncing around the western U.S. and then returned back to Missouri as Director of Operations for his state’s gubernatorial campaign. Now David is combining his diverse experience in agricultural markets, economic analysis and political maneuvering to work in the futures industry. David brings a down home, hands-on and trustworthy knowledge of production agriculture in both the grain and livestock sectors. He really understands our producer clients, production agriculture and the marketing tools available to his clients.

David Kruse is Chief Analyst and founder of Commstock Investments in Royal, IA. He has been a commodity broker and advisor since 1985. David Kruse began farming in 1973. He is a 5th-generation farmer who can trace his farming roots back to Mecklenberg, Germany. Having experienced the full-on effects of the 1980s farm depression, David saw a necessity for managing risk, which led him to establish his own risk-management firm.

David is a professional writer. He has authored The CommStock Report since 1986. Mr. Kruse has stood out as a champion of competitive markets and has been a vocal proponent for the ethanol industry. His unique opinionated commentary has been a leading advocate for agriculture and the typical American farmer. Since its inception, David has written over 20,000 reports defending the American farmer and his contributions to the world. His reports are heard across several radio stations and newspapers covering the greater Midwest.

Brian grew up on a small family grain and livestock farm near Muscatine in southeast Iowa. After graduating from the University of Northern Iowa, he worked at Pro Farmer for 29-plus years, focusing on commodity market analysis and perspective with an emphasis on risk management for farmers. Brian is a regular featured guest on agriculture-focused TV, radio and podcasts, along with being a keynote speaker on market outlook to many farmer and commodity groups. He resides in Cedar Falls, Iowa, with his wife Kathy and sons Drew and Josh. Outside of work, Brian enjoys playing golf and is an avid sports fan.

Katie and her husband have operated a grain and cattle feedlot operation since 2011 and she has been with CommStock Investments since 2014. Katie handles a multitude of daily responsibilities that range from assisting customers with opening new accounts to handling margin clerk responsibilities. Katie holds an Associate degree in Agricultural Business and resides with her family on a farm northwest of Peterson, Iowa.

Raised in the small town of New Washington, Indiana, my family immersed me in the agricultural industry, where we raised show pigs, sheep, and goats as well as involved in rodeo activities.

I pursued my higher education at Connor State College, where I not only participated in rodeo but also obtained my Associate of Science degree as well as an Equine Certificate in Management and Training. Eager to continue expanding my knowledge, I then went on to Oklahoma State University, where I ultimately graduated with a Bachelor’s of Science in Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources with a degree in Agricultural Leadership.

After completing my education, I ventured into freelancing and traveling where I gained invaluable experience by honing in on my skills. Eventually, I found my true passion in broadcasting and media, leading me to embark on an exciting career journey to Louisiana with the Louisiana Farm Bureau Federation and their show “This Week In Louisiana Agriculture”. Since then, I have had the privilege of serving as the Executive Producer of Online Content for the CommStock Investment team, where I am based in Brownwood, TX. In this role, I am responsible for creating daily videos for the CommStock Channel, managing social media, and overseeing marketing and advertisement efforts.

Beyond my broadcasting and production career, I also freelance in photography, videography, graphic design, and marketing both within and outside the agricultural industry. When I’m not immersed in these creative pursuits, you’ll often find me in the barn, where my significant other and I raise show stock, representing our passion for agriculture in various shows across the country.

Josh Van Ryswyk is the Finance and Compliance Manager at CommStock Investments. Josh grew up in Iowa, earning a degree in Corporate Communications from Simpson College. He began his career working as a financial planner and analyst, conducting client portfolio reviews and equity research. He later switched careers working as an executive chef, developing menus and operations for some of the top restaurants in Des Moines. Josh is excited about using his financial management skills to help Commstock improve the customer experience.

Teresa Warfield works in our Garden City Kansas office as an administrative assistant handling various duties. She started at Gerber Commodities, which is now CommStock Investments in 2005. Teresa grew up in northwestern South Dakota and has lived in western Kansas since 1982.