Crop Insurance Specialists
Meet the Crop Growers Team
Kim Cervone | Crop Insurance Specialist
Kim Cervone is a Crop Insurance Specialist with Crop Growers in Batavia, New York. With 25 years of experience in the agricultural industry, she is dedicated to helping farmers understand their crop insurance options and manage risk. Kim serves producers across multiple counties in Western New York, providing practical guidance and responsive service throughout the crop insurance process. She is also a Notary Public and has previous experience in the retail financial industry. Kim lives in Batavia with her husband.
Megan Clancy | Dairy & Livestock Risk Management Senior Advisor
I work alongside Northeast producers to develop customized strategies that help protect their businesses in a constantly changing market. I consolidate all the market changes into a weekly “Dairy Market Insights” newsletter for our customers and staff to make sure they’re equipped with the latest updates. Risk management is not a one-size-fits-all solution, and that’s exactly where I come in to help guide producers through the process with confidence. There’s nothing more rewarding than watching a well-executed risk management strategy help a farm grow, adapt or gain stability.
Christine Cornwell | Crop Insurance Associate
Christine Cornwell is a Crop Insurance Associate in the Cooperstown Marketplace, serving producers throughout Otsego, Chenango, Delaware, Oneida, Madison, and Herkimer counties. A graduate of Cornell University and SUNY Albany, Christine brings a diverse background in agriculture, business management, and education. Prior to joining the crop insurance industry, she spent more than two decades managing a sport horse equestrian facility, where she trained both horses and riders. In addition to her professional experience, Christine dedicated 10 years of volunteer service as a member of the Sharon Springs Central School District Board of Education, reflecting her commitment to supporting education and strengthening rural communities.
Christine.Cornwell@cropgrowers.com
Jennie Cougler | Crop Insurance Associate
Jennie Cougler is a Crop Insurance Specialist for Crop Growers, located in the Potsdam, N.Y. office. She serves the North Country by providing risk management services to growers throughout St. Lawrence and Franklin counties. Jennie graduated from North Country Community College with an associate’s degree in business administration and has over 20 years’ experience working in business-to-business sales, banking, lending, and financial services. Her knowledge, experience, and instincts have contributed to building strong relationships with her customers as their trusted risk advisor. Jennie has served on the board of the Franklin County Farm Bureau, has been a volunteer coach for the St. Lawrence County Dairy Bowl, a CCE volunteer for St. Lawrence County’s 4-H programs, as well as the Dairy Festival Parade organization committee for the Potsdam Office.
Jennie.Cougler@cropgrowers.com
Peter Frizzell | Crop Insurance Senior Advisor
I grew up in Suffield, Conn., and although I did not come from a farm background, I worked several summers in the local tobacco fields that I now help producers insure. My key responsibilities include managing risk for my customers through education, servicing and advocation. I thoroughly educate them on the crop insurance policy specific to their operation, helping them understand their insurable liability and the financial costs associated with the plan they select. I am an ambassador of the crop insurance program because I have seen it work countless times in my career. My best advice to customers is, “it’s better to be insured and not need it, than to need it and not be insured.”
Peter.Frizzell@cropgrowers.com
Branden Holdsworth | Crop Insurance Associate
Branden Holdsworth is a crop insurance associate for Crop Growers, located in Presque Isle, ME. He covers the entire state of Maine, with a variety of different crops. Growing up in Aroostook County, he has been around agriculture his whole life. Mostly potato farms that his family owned or other growers he worked for during and after high school. If he's not in the office or out visiting with customers helping them identify a risk management plan, then you're bound to find him in a gym somewhere in Maine coaching basketball.
Branden.Holdsworth@cropgrowers.com
Nicole Ingram | Northeast Senior Marketing Agent
Nicole Ingram is a Northeast Senior Advisor with Crop Growers, the crop insurance agency of Farm Credit East, where she works with farmers across Northern New York to help them manage risk and protect the operations they work so hard to build. Agriculture has always been a part of Nicole’s life. She grew up on a small heifer-raising farm in Western New York and was active in the Erie County 4-H program, showing both dairy cattle and market swine. After earning degrees in Dairy Science and Agricultural Business from Morrisville State College, she began her career with Crop Growers and Farm Credit East, combining her passion for agriculture with a commitment to supporting farm families. When she’s not working with producers, she can usually be found gardening, hiking, or spending time with her husband and four children.
Jerome Kingston | Row Crops Insurance Agent
Jerome Kingston is a Crop Insurance Associate serving farmers and agricultural businesses throughout Western New York. Raised on a dairy farm and with a background in vegetable processing, he brings firsthand agricultural experience to helping producers manage risk and protect their operations. A native of Livingston County, Jerome resides there with his wife and four children. He works out of the Batavia and Geneva offices and serves producers across the region. Jerome is a member of the Livingston County Farm Bureau and a graduate of LeadNY Class 18. He is committed to building strong relationships with farmers through responsive service, honest communication, and practical crop insurance solutions that support long-term success.
Jerome.Kingston@cropgrowers.com
Heather Leonard | Crop Insurance Associate
Heather, from Fabius, N.Y., graduated from Cobleskill with an associate’s degree in agricultural business. Her role as an express policy agent helps multiple producers in many different states with their crop insurance needs. She enjoys creating relationships with farmers and learning so many ways to operate a farm. Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with her family and friends, and her best friend, her dog River.
Heather.Leonard@cropgrowers.com
Kelsey Linder | Northeast Marketing Agent
As a perennial crop specialist, I work primarily with commercial apple growers in Wayne County, N.Y., collaborating with producers to analyze their operations and recommending the most suitable coverage levels. Though I grew up on a dairy farm, I’ve truly enjoyed immersing myself in the fruit industry. I stay actively engaged by monitoring industry updates and maintaining a strong network with crop insurance agents in apple-growing regions to ensure I stay ahead of best practices and evolving trends. Agriculture has always been close to my heart, and there’s truly no better group of people to work with than Farm Credit customers and employees.
Eddie Maslin | Crop Insurance Associate
I help Northeast producers prepare for our increasingly volatile climate and unpredictable market conditions. I enjoy being on the farm and educating customers to help them understand the options they have available to create stability and future security for their business. I stay up to date on RMA programs to quickly address producers and answer questions they may have.
Jacob Mesick | Crop Insurance Associate
Jacob Mesick is a Crop Insurance Associate for Crop Growers located in the Claverack, NY office. After attending Chatham High Jacob attended SUNY Cobleskill where he earned an Associates of Agricultural Engineering and a Bachelor of Business Administration. For the past 10 years Jacob has been a self-employed welder and all-around tradesman while completing two internships and looking for new passions. Three years ago Jacob completed the internship for his bachelor's degree working for AGCO as a GLEANER combine support technician in the Midwest from Texas to North Dakota. After getting home Jacob worked for United Ag & Turf John Deere as a Customer Support Advisor servicing large ag accounts in the Northeast US. Jacob is a life member of the Old Time Power Association, The Columbia County Fair and a trustee of the Austerlitz Historical Society. Hobbies include but are not limited to, field work, collecting John Deere two cylinders, maintaining miscellaneous ag attachments, collecting antiques and recently growing grain.
Charlie Messenger | Crop Insurance Agent
Charlie Messenger is a Crop Growers agent that primarily works with row crops (corn & soybeans). He has been with Crop Growers for a little over 10 years. He lives in Derby, Vermont and works out of the Derby office. He owned and operated a dairy farm with his brother-in-law and sister in the 70s and 80s and milked the midnight shift for Monument Farms in Weybridge Vermont. He covers the east side of Vermont and the west side of New Hampshire.
Charles.Messenger@cropgrowers.com
John Pagels | Crop Insurance Associate
Born and raised in South Jersey, I have been directly involved in agriculture all of my life. I have 25+ years experience in production agriculture, primarily in forage and row crops. I spend most of my free time on my family's farm located along the bay shore region with my wife and four children. We currently own and operate a 90-acre rotational grazing operation. I am always excited to use my experiences in serving our Crop Growers and Farm Credit East customers.
Elizabeth Peila | Dairy and Livestock Risk Management Associate
Elizabeth Peila is a Dairy and Livestock Risk Management Associate located in the Greenwich, New York office. Elizabeth’s appreciation for the dairy industry started from a young age on her family’s dairy farms across the Northeast. She graduated from Purdue University in 2023 with a bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Economics. After graduation she spent nearly three years working in State Agriculture Departments, most recently as a Senior Milk Marketing Economist.
Elizabeth.Peila@cropgrowers.com
Daniel Ragnetti | Crop Insurance Associate
Daniel Ragnetti is a Crop Insurance Associate for Crop Growers, which is the crop insurance agency owned by Farm Credit East. Daniel is based out of the Flemington, New Jersey office and provides services in crop insurance and risk management to customers in Northern New Jersey. Having grown up in the northern part of New Jersey, in Sussex County, Daniel is excited to be able to support some of the producers who grow their crops in the same area that he grew up in. Before joining Crop Growers, Daniel spent time in the Environmental sector, working on projects related to natural resource management, native habitat restoration, and contaminated site remediation projects across New Jersey.
Daniel.Ragnetti@cropgrowers.com
Cuyler Reynolds | Crop Insurance Specialist
I specialize in perennial and whole farm crop insurance policies, working with fruit and vegetable growers primarily in New York’s Hudson Valley. As a specialist, I’m able to focus on specific crop policies and industries to serve my customers more effectively, helping them make informed decisions about risk management that can protect their operations during difficult times. I aim to educate producers, guide them in understanding their policies, and help them choose plans that fit their unique needs. I keep current with industry trends, by attending fruit and apple conferences and collaborating with crop insurance agents from other major apple-producing regions across the country. I enjoy being part of the Farm Credit East Crop Growers team, working to safeguard farms and strengthen our agricultural communities.
Cuyler.Reynolds@cropgrowers.com
Kenneth Slade | Senior Dairy and Livestock Risk Management Specialist
Kenneth “KC” Slade is a Senior Dairy and Livestock Risk Management Specialist with Farm Credit East/Crop Growers, where he has spent the past nine years helping dairy and livestock producers manage risk and strengthen the financial stability of their operations. Raised on a 120-cow tie-stall dairy farm in Central New York, KC developed a lifelong passion for dairy farming and agriculture that continues to shape both his professional career and community involvement. He combines his agricultural background with industry expertise to serve dairy producers throughout the Northeast, helping them navigate risk management strategies in an ever-changing agricultural landscape.
Jonathan Stoll | Crop Insurance Associate
I specialize in perennial crop insurance with a focus on apples, peaches and tart cherries. My farming background and experience growing perennials through both good and bad years gives me a unique perspective when working with growers. I enjoy helping my customers find the right coverage to ensure that one bad year doesn’t undo decades of hard work. Farm Credit East gives me the opportunity to get out into orchards, visit farms and build relationships with growers to make an impact.
Jonathan.Stoll@cropgrowers.com
Stephanie Taylor | Crop Insurance Agent
Stephanie Taylor is a crop insurance agent serving grape growers across the Lake Erie region. As a risk management advisor, she helps producers navigate uncertainty and protect the crops they've worked hard to grow, providing peace of mind when weather and other challenges arise. Before joining Farm Credit East, Stephanie served her community as a volunteer firefighter, EMT, and then municipal police officer. She since transitioned to agriculture, helping build a first-generation family farm and gaining firsthand appreciation for the resilience and long-term planning farming requires. Passionate about continuous learning, Stephanie stays informed on industry developments and weather trends so she can be a trusted resource for the growers she serves and help them make informed crop insurance decisions that protect the value of each season's hard work.
Stephanie.Taylor@cropgrowers.com
Cierra Utter | Crop Insurance Specialist
Cierra is a Crop Insurance Specialist based out of the Cooperstown Office. Growing up on her family’s dairy farm in Chenango County, N.Y., engrained in her a passion for the agriculture industry which she has carried with her throughout her whole life. Cierra serve farmers in eight counties in and around the capital region of New York. In her role, she assists customers in making vital risk management decisions for the upcoming growing season. Crop insurance is more than just a safety net for catastrophic losses. If used correctly, it can be an extremely valuable tool for their business.
Elizabeth Vachon | Crop Insurance Associate
Elizabeth Vachon is a Crop Insurance Associate with Crop Growers, the crop insurance provider of Farm Credit East, working out of St. Albans, Vermont. She specializes in helping farmers understand and utilize crop insurance as a valuable tool for risk management, business planning, and long-term sustainability. Elizabeth enjoys building trusted relationships with customers and helping them find solutions that best fit their operations. When she's not working with farmers, she enjoys exploring the outdoors, spending time with her blended family, and training for marathons.
Elizabeth.Vachon@cropgrowers.com
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