About Us
Meet Our Staff
Staff - Administrator
Neal Fisher
As Administrator of the North Dakota Wheat Commission, Neal Fisher is responsible for implementing producer-funded programs intended to increase the total use of North Dakota wheat. Fisher works directly in the areas of export market development, research, transportation, trade policy and other issues to improve the global competitiveness of North Dakota producers of hard red spring, durum and other wheat classes. His work for the Wheat Commission is a worldwide effort via U.S. Wheat Associates and the Cooperator Programs of USDA’s Foreign Agriculture Service. Fisher coordinates North Dakota Wheat Commission policy positions and actions on issues affecting wheat producers, and serves on numerous committees and boards involved in trade policy development and wheat research. He is a member of the Joint Trade Policy Committee of the National Association of Wheat Growers and US Wheat Associates, and the Agricultural Trade Advisory Committee of the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative and the U.S. Department of Agriculture in Washington, D.C., serving at the pleasure of the President and the Secretary of Agriculture. Fisher is a member of the Upper Great Plains Transportation Institute’s Advisory Council. He previously served on the State Board of Agricultural Research and Education assisting with the prioritizing, budgeting and policy-making associated with the research projects and initiatives of the N.D. Agricultural Experiment Station and NDSU Extension Service. Fisher joined the Commission in 1978 as a marketing specialist, became deputy administrator in 1983, and was appointed administrator in 1998. He is a graduate of North Dakota State University, where he earned master's and bachelor's degrees in agricultural economics. He continues his interest in the family farming and ranching enterprise near Tappen, N.D, where his son Josh is the principal owner/operator. Fisher and his wife Deborah have three grown children and four grandchildren.
Staff - Policy and Marketing Director
Jim Peterson
Jim Peterson is the North Dakota Wheat Commission's Policy and Marketing director. He assists with three major program areas: export marketing, trade policy and issues, and research/customer service. His goals are to increase export and domestic sales - both in terms of volume and market share - for U.S. hard red spring and durum wheat. He strives to make North Dakota wheat more competitive in terms of price, quality and through service. Peterson's specific responsibilities include foreign customer service, gathering and analyzing market information, and evaluating transportation issues affecting North Dakota wheat producers. He also studies U.S. domestic and export programs as well as trade agreements related to wheat. He writes a bi-monthly "Wheat Market Review" column for the Commission's newsletter. Peterson presents programs to wheat producers and customers on spring wheat and durum use, their economic and quality advantages, and supply and demand outlook. He is also involved with efforts to maintain and enhance the quality of U.S. wheat by serving on the Wheat Quality Council's Spring Wheat Committee and U.S. Wheat Associates' Wheat Quality Committee. Peterson joined the Commission as a marketing specialist in 1991 and assumed the duties of marketing director in 1998. Earlier in his career, Peterson was a grain merchandiser for Archer Daniels Midland (ADM), Decatur, Ill. He worked with corn and soybean purchasing at an Illinois river terminal and with canola in Velva, N.D. Peterson is a graduate of North Dakota State University with a bachelor's degree in agricultural economics. He grew up on a farm near Makoti, N.D., where he continues to be involved in the family's small grain, sheep and beef cattle operation. Jim, his wife, Peggy, and their two children make their home in Bismarck.
Staff - Market Development and Research Manager
Erica Olson
No market too big. No market too small. As the NDWC's Market Development and Research Manager, Erica Olson hopes to show every market interested in U.S. wheat that North Dakota grows some of the best. She focuses her efforts in export marketing, trade policy and issues, and research and customer service, working to gain North Dakota wheat a bigger portion of the world and domestic market. Through statistical analysis of supply and demand relationships, along with the study of production marketing and the competitiveness of North Dakota wheat and durum, Olson has her eye on the world of wheat. She plays a large role in showing foreign buyers and interested markets what North Dakota has to offer them in high quality wheat and the end-products it can produce for them. From organizing trade team activities to watching the ups and downs of the wheat market, she stays abreast of the wheat's daily journey in the world marketplace. Her duties include market study and analysis, and implementation of the Commission's market development and sales promotion activities. Olson joined the Commission in 2006, coming to us from the North Dakota Trade Office and U.S. Commercial Service where she worked directly with market research and export assistance for a number of North Dakota companies. She also brings with her experience from her internships with the North Dakota Agricultural Statistics Service and the National Farmers' Union, Washington, D.C. Olson is originally from Mohall, where her family operates a small grain and oilseed farm. She is a graduate of Mohall High School and received her undergraduate and master's degrees in agribusiness and applied economics at North Dakota State University. She and her husband Craig have four children and make their home on a farm near Colfax.
Staff - Accounting Specialist
Keri Ell
Keri Ell is the North Dakota Wheat Commission's accounting specialist. If the job relates to money, chances are Ell takes care of it. She is responsible for collecting the Commission's checkoff revenue, processing producer requests for refunds, paying bills, preparing monthly payroll reports and developing monthly financial statements. She assists with annual budget preparation, monitoring of research and service contracts, and general office work. She and her husband Casey live in Bismarck and have three daughters.
Staff - Administrative Assistant
Jolene Beehler
If you call or visit the North Dakota Wheat Commission, you'll likely be greeted by Jolene Beehler. As the Commission's administrative assistant, Beehler provides all-around clerical and office support to the board of commissioners and staff. Her duties include taking minutes at board meetings, maintaining office records and files, assisting with correspondence, developing and updating presentation materials, coordinating meetings and special events, and layout and design of publications. Beehler holds an associate's degree in business administration from Bismarck State College. She has previous experience with the North Dakota Tax Department and the North Dakota Grain Growers Association. The Commission attributes Beehler's good work ethic to the fact that she grew up on a dairy farm near New Salem, N.D. Jolene and her husband Bruce make their home in Mandan.
