AT CLOSING PEOPLE.

Farmland Industries, Inc., Kansas City, Mo., promotes David Eaheart to director of corporate communications. Eaheart was previously public relations manager.

Jim Lee, president and chief operating officer of Furst-McNess Co., Freeport, Ill., has announced he will retire on Jan. 15, 2001. Succeeding him as president is Martha Furst, previously vice president of the consumer products group.

As of Jan. 1, 2001, Hans-Walther Reiners will become head of the global Agricultural Products division of BASF. He will succeed Dr. Friedrich Vogel, who will head various projects in North America. Reiners was previously head of the team that integrated the agricultural products business acquired by BASF this year.

Data Transmission Network Corp., Omaha, hires Peter Shinn as managing editor of DTN AgDaily, which delivers delayed quotes, market information, weather and farm news electronically to a national audience of agricultural producers. Shinn previously was a communications consultant with DTN Advertising.

Sparks Companies, Inc., Memphis, hires Dan Manternach as vice president of Web content and analysis coordination and John Eustice as feed ingredient consultant and editor. Manternach comes to Sparks from his own consulting firm, Manternach Agrimentoring Associates. Eustice is working out of Sparks St. Paul office. He has spent the majority of his career in the feed industry, with more than 10 years at Prince Agri Products, Inc.

Rooster.com, Bloomington, Minn., hires Ben Arndt, Steve Kile and Chris Preble as new directors in its Business Development and Corporate Innovation Group. The team is responsible for expanding the Web site and exploring mergers, acquisitions and strategic partnerships. They join Sevren Maynard, the team's managing director. Arndt spent the last four years in brand management at Procter & Gamble. Kile previously served as manager of credit and compliance at Omega Healthcare Investors, Inc. Preble was director of member acquisition at spree.com

Gehl Co., West Bend, Wis., has appointed Daniel M. Keyes vice president of sales and marketing. Keyes previously was director, strategic accounts with CNH Global N.V. (formerly Case Corp.).

The Holstein Association, Brattleboro, Vt., hires Jean Lonie as promotional Web specialist. Lonie will oversee the design and development of the association Web site as well as manage the association's advertising and trade show work. Lonie comes to the association after three years with the Farm Journal Corp. and the past year as account supervisor for AgWeb.com.

Morgan&Myers, Jefferson, Wis., hires Michelle Tollefson and Julie Orchard as senior associates. Previously, Tollefson held account coordinator and account executive positions at Valentine Radford Communications. Orchard was most recently an editor at Cygnus Business Media.

Roger D. Malkin, chairman and CEO of Delta and Pine Land Co., Scott, Miss., passed away Nov. 22, 2000. He was 69. During Malkin's tenure at D&PL, the company introduced early-maturing cotton varieties as well as transgenic varieties.