Ag Service Team Role: Regional Advisor

Early Life & Hometown:

Ben Hetzel hails from Lemmon, South Dakota, a small agricultural community in the northwest part of the state. Growing up in Lemmon fostered a deep connection to rural life, farming, and ranching—values that continue to shape his professional approach. After completing high school in Lemmon, Ben earned his degree from Dickinson State University.

Professional Role:

Ben currently serves as the General Manager at Scranton Equity Exchange in Scranton, North Dakota, where he oversees operations, customer relations, and service offerings. Under his leadership, the cooperative efficiently manages nearly 12 million bushels of grain annually, including operations capable of handling large shuttle trains with over 110 railcars. His expertise in grain merchandising, facility management, and strategic planning is instrumental to the cooperative’s success.

In addition, Ben serves as Branch Manager for RCM Ag Services, where he leverages his deep industry knowledge and experience at Scranton Equity Exchange to support producers and commercial partners. While his primary focus remains with Scranton, his role at RCM enhances collaboration and provides additional insights and solutions to the agricultural community.

Responsibilities & Impact:

As GM of Scranton Equity Exchange, Ben:

• Manages grain merchandising, customer relations, and facility operations.
• Oversees large-scale grain logistics, including shuttle train coordination and high-volume storage.
• Serves as a key liaison between the cooperative, its growers, community members, and regional partners.

In his role with RCM Ag Services, Ben applies this expertise to support RCM’s network, providing producers and commercial partners with actionable insights into local and regional markets.

Personal:

Ben and his wife Holly have raised four children in Lemmon and continue to operate their family farm and ranch. Remaining connected to production agriculture alongside his professional career allows him to bring firsthand experience to his leadership roles and pass on the agricultural heritage that has shaped his life.

Jeff Apel brings nearly three decades of experience in the livestock markets to his role as Director of Agriculture Services. Since beginning his career in 1996, Jeff has been deeply involved in livestock trading, becoming a CME Member in 1998 and a registered floor broker in 2002. His extensive background in order execution, trading, and managing risk in the livestock markets provides a strong foundation for supporting Commercial Livestock Operations. Leveraging his experience in managing Commodity Trading Operations at Wharton Capital Management, Jeff helps bridge sophisticated trading strategies with practical risk management solutions, enabling producers and commercial clients to navigate market volatility with confidence.

Bob Wharton is a seasoned agricultural futures trader with over 35 years of experience, specializing in livestock markets. As a long-time CME floor broker and co-founder of a Commodity Trading Advisor (Wharton Capital Management), Bob has combined his deep market knowledge with hands-on expertise in managing risk for Commercial Livestock Operations. His unique ability to connect advanced trading strategies with real-world hedging solutions has made him a trusted advisor to producers and industry stakeholders. At RCM Ag Services, Bob leverages his decades of trading and CTA management experience to develop and implement tailored risk management strategies that address the specific needs of the commercial livestock community.

Brian Leonard is a 30+ year veteran in the commodities trading space. Brian began his career as an assistant in the Soybean pit in the early ‘80s, and moved on to wood products in 1994. Brian’s current role for RCM Ag Services is to serve as a Risk Analyst, specializing in the wood products sector. His customer base spans a large spectrum ranging from wood producers to home builders with all different types of risk management needs. Brian also assists with risk management within the currency and fuel sectors. Brian recently received an MA in Pastoral Studies at University of St. Mary of the Lake, and uses that to work with churches in low income neighborhoods in the Chicagoland area.

Victor is a graduate of Fort Hays State University with a degree in Business Administration. He is owner-operator of a large farm in northwest Kansas and understands the issues facing farmers in marketing crops. A commodity trader since 1987 and a broker since 2011, he has experienced both the highs and lows of commodity prices. When not trading commodities or farming he enjoys hiking the mountains surrounding Phoenix, AZ.

Jake is born and raised in northwest Kansas, grew up on a farm, and attended Hoxie High School in 2007. He attended Kansas State University and graduated with a dual degree in finance and marketing in 2011. While in college, Jake got a Series 3 license and helped at his dad’s brokerage to learn the business. In 2014, Jake became an introducing broker and merged with RCM Ag where he helps clients develop marketing strategies for their farm. Jake still helps his dad and brother on the farm, and is a partner on the cow herd. Aside from agriculture, he is a big sports fan and loves to golf in the summers. Jake is married to Megan, and is a father to Camille and Madeline.