What do you do in your current role with the University of Missouri? 

I am an agronomy field specialist in west central Missouri. I cover Jackson, Cass, Bates, Vernon, St. Clair, and Cedar counties. I work with farmers, producers, landowners, and other stakeholders in the area who are interested in learning more about managing row crops, pasture, and hay fields. I like to spend time on farm visits looking at fields and visiting about current events and management decisions that are to be made. I develop programming to educate producers on a variety of agronomic areas such as soil fertility and crops for livestock grazing. I recently began writing articles for local media that have included topics such as haymaking and wheat viruses. I am in the process of setting up a new program to scout corn and soybean fields this summer and sharing my scouting report through an app with interested producers and stakeholders.

How long have you worked in this position?

I have worked in this position since May 1, 2023, so just over a year.

What is your favorite part about the work you do?

My favorite part of the work I do is visiting with producers and landowners to better understand their operations and help them manage their crops and livestock. I enjoy going out in the fields to see what area producers are working on and learn about what is on their minds regarding new agronomic management techniques they want to try. This gives me a better idea of what I should be working on to help answer questions.

How are you helping MU A&E Extension reach our #2xAg2030 goal?

I intend to help connect farmers, producers, landowners, industry and research together in a way that effectively communicates with each other. To double the value of Missouri agriculture by 2030, I plan to be a vector of information between what producers in the field want to know and what research and industry are discovering and developing. I will develop and perform various programming to connect these stakeholders to help them be more efficient and more productive.

What is something your CAFNR and MU Extension teammates may not know about you?

My colleagues at CAFNR and Extension may not know that I served as a state vice president for Missouri FFA during my freshman year of college.

What is your hometown, place of high school graduation, and degrees/universities?

I am from Creighton, Missouri which is in the southeast corner of Cass County. I attended Sherwood High School, before attending College of the Ozarks in Point Lookout, MO. I graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Ag Business and Agronomy in the spring of 2020. The following summer, I moved to Stillwater, Oklahoma, to attend Oklahoma State University to study plant and soil science. After two years working with the precision nutrient management program, I graduated with a master’s degree in plant and soil science in the spring of 2022.