Gooseneck Implement Announces Leadership Transition

Jun 05, 2025

Gooseneck Implement announces a strategic leadership transition as part of our ongoing commitment to growth, stewardship, and strengthening partnerships with our employees, customers, and communities.

After years of dedicated service, CEO Jamie Melgaard and COO Jay Pickrel have concluded their time with Gooseneck Implement. We thank them for their contributions and leadership. Their efforts helped shape a strong foundation for our future, and we are grateful for the impact they’ve had on our people and our purpose.

Stepping into the role of Chief Executive Officer is Andrew Arnston, a respected leader from our Rugby location, who has been with the company for over 20 years. Andrew’s deep roots within Gooseneck Implement, along with his unwavering dedication to our people-first culture, make him a natural fit for this role. He brings not only strong operational insight but also a servant leadership style that reflects our Core Values of Genuine Passion and Genuine Gratitude.

As part of this leadership transition, Heather Drader has been named General Manager of the Rugby location. Drader previously served as the Assistant General Manager in Rugby, and brings strong operational experience, customer focus, and a clear passion for the success of her team and the farmers and ranchers they serve.

This leadership change reflects Gooseneck Implement’s focus on long-term sustainability, excellence in service, and the value of growing leaders from within. As we look ahead, we remain rooted in our purpose: to passionately partner in the success of our customers and employees across North Dakota, South Dakota, and Montana.

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Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.