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Purdue establishes industry advisory council

The Center for Commercial Agriculture at Purdue University has visions of being the leading source of management education and to generate knowledge for farmers.  Through that goal, Purdue has established an industry advisory council.  Brent Gloy, the center’s director says the council will focus on issues relevant to farmers and students in the College of Agriculture.  Gloy says their role will be to help provide input on assessing important priorities to applied research to help the center enhance undergraduate education opportunities at Purdue in the area of farm management as well as provide some very unique experiences for undergraduate studies in farm and agribusiness management.  He says they want to get students excited about many of the opportunities available to students in agriculture today.

Gloy says there are three key areas of focus: applied research; undergraduate education and management education for farmers.  He says they will have a suite of products in all three areas to enhance the experience. 

The founding members of the council include AGCO, Dow AgroSciences, GROWMARK, Farm Credit Services of Mid-America and Syngenta.  In addition to the financial contributions each company has made, they have also agreed to commit an executive to the industry council.

The industry council representives:

* Doug Griffin of Duluth, Ga., vice president of global marketing and brand management, AGCO Corp. Griffin joined AGCO in 2002, where he develops global branding and marketing programs. He received a bachelor’s degree in agricultural engineering from Purdue and has completed executive training programs at Bradley University and Emory University. He was named a 2011 Purdue Distinguished Agricultural Alumnus.

* Vern Hawkins of Greensboro, N.C., president of commercial operations and regional director for North America, Syngenta. Hawkins is a 26-year Syngenta veteran, rising through the ranks from sales territory manager to his current positions in the company’s crop protection and seed businesses. He received a bachelor’s degree in agronomy from Purdue and an executive MBA from Temple University. He was named a 2011 Purdue Distinguished Agricultural Alumnus.

* Stan Howell of Indianapolis, vice president of North America Regional Commercial Unit, Dow AgroSciences. Howell is responsible for overseeing the company’s agricultural chemical, turf and ornamentals, urban pest, healthy oils, and seeds and traits businesses in the United States and Canada. He also is president of Phytogen Seed Co. He received a bachelor’s degree in marketing from Indiana University.

* Dick Poe of Louisville, Ky., senior vice president of financial services, Farm Credit Services of Mid-America. Poe oversees the management and sales of 43 Farm Credit Services offices in Indiana, Ohio and northern Kentucky. He began his Farm Credit career in 1982 as a loan officer in Washington Court House, Ohio. Poe received bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Kentucky.

* Jim Spradlin of Bloomington, Ill., vice president of agronomy, GROWMARK Inc. Spradlin leads the company’s seed, crop protection, plant protection, plant food and facility planning and supply divisions, and GROWMARK’s Agronomy Marketing & Agronomic Services. He joined GROWMARK in 1982 after receiving a bachelor’s degree in business administration and economics from Illinois College.