Pheasants Forever & Quail Forever recently announced Matt Carstens has been elected a member of the organization’s National Board of Directors. He shares a passion for wildlife conservation and upland hunting to help carry “The Habitat Organization” in new and exciting directions. He now joins the organization’s 14-member board which meets quarterly and oversees the operations of Pheasants Forever, Inc. & Quail Forever.
“Matt Carstens brings a phenomenal skillset to our National Board of Directors that will help shape and guide the wildlife habitat conservation efforts of Pheasant Forever and Quail Forever well into the future,” stated Howard Vincent, President and CEO of Pheasants Forever & Quail Forever. “Despite circumstances of our nation’s health crisis, Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever continues to add bright minds to our leadership roles while maintaining quality projects throughout the pheasant and quail ranges.”
Growing up on a family farm in central Iowa, Carstens graduated with a degree in Agricultural Business and Management from Iowa State University. His career background includes nearly 25 years of experience in the agricultural industry, working in the supply chain from agronomy retail to end-user grain customers, food manufacturers, grocery stores and consumers.
Carstens’ strong connection to wildlife habitat conservation for upland birds stems from his career at Land O’ Lakes as the senior vice president of Truterra, the sustainability division of the nation’s foremost member-owned agricultural cooperative and a strategic partner of Pheasants Forever since 2018. More recently, Carstens was named CEO of Landus Cooperative, a farming cooperative aimed at supporting the full circle of the food chain - from seed to commodity, from product to feed, and from cow to the kitchen table.
In addition to his business career, Carstens has taken on numerous other leadership roles in his lifetime. Starting in 2010, he was a participating board member with The Fertilizer Institute (2010-2016), Agren (2016-2018), and Newtrient (2016-2019). He is currently a board member for both the Principal Charity Classic and Central Ag Solutions.
“As the leader of a farmer-owned cooperative, finding the balance between agriculture and conservation is becoming more critical,” said Matthew Carstens, CEO of Landus. “I am excited to become a Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever National Board member to help expedite the adoption of conservation practices with farmers across the United States.”
As a Life Member of Pheasants Forever, Carstens and his son Camden (also a Life Member) enjoy every opportunity to pursue pheasants and quail together in the state of Iowa. Carstens enjoys spending time on the farm with his wife and three children when not pursuing his upland passion.
