Amanda De Jong is the South West Business Unit Lead for Landus Cooperative headquartered in Ames. As part of the executive team, she is responsible for all grain, agronomy and feed across 22 locations in central and western Iowa. In addition, she manages government affairs, external affairs, sustainability and data innovation.

De Jong was raised on a corn and soybean farm in northeast Iowa near the town of Holy Cross. She attended Iowa State University, receiving a bachelor’s degree in agricultural business, and later earned a juris doctor from the University of Iowa Law School.

After law school, De Jong worked for USDA with the Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration (GIPSA) and the Under Secretary’s Office for Marketing and Regulatory Programs. De Jong worked four years with Senator Chuck Grassley, where she negotiated provisions of the 2008 Farm Bill. In addition, she served as senior policy advisor for the Iowa Corn Growers Association. Most recently De Jong served as the State Executive Director of the Iowa Farm Service Agency at USDA, being appointed by President Trump in 2017.

De Jong is an active supporter of the Agriculture Future of America organization. She formed a non-profit organization, Young Professionals in Agriculture, to connect young people working in agriculture through networking, philanthropy and lifelong learning. She served as the organization’s first president and helped form other chapters throughout the U.S.

De Jong and her husband, Ryan, are owners in a cattle and row crop operation near Rhodes and are raising two young sons.