Dr. Valerie Kilders and Marie Mechley sit down with Purdue graduate student and First Lieutenant Austin Berenda, Platoon Leader in the Indiana National Guard, to discuss his journey and experiences. Tune in to hear about how Lieutenant Berenda has juggled being both a student and a Platoon Leader, his advice for both students and service members and how he got to where he is today.

For the third and final episode in the Farm Bill series, our two student co-hosts, Marie Mechley and Shay Doerstler, interviewed two people who are affected by the Farm Bill in their daily operations. The first interview welcomes guest Kier Crites Muller, the CEO of Lafayette Food Finders Food Bank, to talk about the nutrition portion of the Farm Bill and the impact that it has on Food Finders and the communities they serve. The second interview welcomes guest Ty Brown, a local farmer and entrepreneur from Rossville, Indiana, to talk about crop subsidies, conservation, and the future of creating demand for farmers’ products through the Farm Bill.

Join Dr. Foster and Shay Doerstler for the second episode of the 3-part Farm Bill series. We have two very special guests this episode who are joining us from Washington D.C. Dr. Anetra Harbor is a USDA Detailee on the U.S. Minority House Agriculture Committee, Office of Ranking Member David Scott. Our second guest and previous Podcast student co-host, Halee Fisher, Legislative Assistant U.S. House Agriculture Committee Office of Committee Chairman Glenn “GT” Thompson. In this episode, we discuss the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2024, the current status, and regular process of a Farm Bill. Tune in to learn more about their perspectives from working on the Farm Bill and the work put in behind the scenes! 

On this episode, Dr. Valerie Kilders and Marie Mechley sit down for the first episode of a 3 part series on the Farm Bill. They are joined by Dr. Roman Keeney, a Department of Agricultural Economics professor who has been with the department since 2005 as a farm-rural household economics professor. He received his doctorate and initial faculty appointment at Purdue University, and he currently teaches a class on Agriculture Policy. Dr. Keeney gives his expert overview on what the Farm Bill is, what it includes, what causes increases in cost, why it has not been passed, and what the future may look like for the Farm Bill. With legislation at the forefront of many topics, this episode gives an insight into information many viewers may not know. 

Roman Keeney began his appointment with the agricultural economics faculty of Purdue University in August 2005 as assistant professor of farm and rural household economics. Prior to that, Roman was a Ph.D. student in the Purdue AgEcon department. Roman’s research program explores how farm households and rural residents respond to and are impacted by changes to farm and farm-related policies. Roman has worked extensively on the interaction between U.S. domestic farm programs and international trade barriers, focusing in particular on the distribution of gains and losses across the population of U.S. farmers. Recently, Roman has taken on Extension responsibilities for analysis and education of farm payment programs. In addition to research and Extension, Roman teaches the department’s undergraduate math programming course and graduate-level production economics course.

Join Dr. Foster and Shay Doerstler for a special episode as they introduce the Ag Econ department's newest professor, Dr. Trey Malone, the Boehlje Endowed Chair for Managerial Economics in Agribusiness. Dr. Malone discusses how the intersection of agricultural economics and data science is shaping the future of agriculture businesses.

Trey Malone is an agri-food economist specializing in agribusiness entrepreneurship and the public policy impacts on agri-food supply chains. He has published over 60 research articles in prominent journals like Food Policy and the American Journal of Agricultural Economics, and has earned numerous awards, including the Emerging Scholar Award from the Southern Agricultural Economics Association. His research has been funded by agencies like the National Science Foundation and the USDA. Previously an Assistant Professor at Michigan State University, he holds advanced degrees from Oklahoma State University. Dr. Malone's work has been featured in major media outlets such as The New York Times and TIME Magazine. He currently serves as North American Managing Editor for the International Food and Agribusiness Review and as a USDA Southern Fellow for Sustainable Agriculture Research.

As this school year comes to a close, this year’s student cohosts, Shelby Whitaker and Colby Smock, are interviewed by next year’s student cohosts, Marie Mechley and Shay Doerstler. We learn about some of their most memorable experiences at Purdue and their advice for students.

In this episode, Dr. Ken Foster and Shelby Whitaker welcome Purdue Ag Econ alum and 2024 APEX award winner James Joshua to the podcast! James Joshua currently serves as Vice President of Procurement at Diversified Foods & Seasonings and is a previous Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) Ocean Hero award winner. Listen as they dive into conversations surrounding food procurement and sustainability, challenges, opportunities, and the influence of technology on the industry. 

James Joshua serves as the Vice President of Procurement at Diversified Foods & Seasonings, overseeing food and packaging expenses. He is the winner of the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) Ocean Hero award for his support and for bringing awareness to the sustainably sourced Filet O Fish at McDonald's. He graduated from Purdue with a Master's in Agricultural Economics in 2004. He currently serves on the Purdue Ag Alumni Board and previously served on the Purdue Dean of Agriculture Advisory Council. James was recently awarded the 2024 Purdue Ag Econ APEX Award. The APEX Award, presented by the Department of Agricultural Economics, is in recognition of those individuals with a strong connection to the department who have made outstanding contributions in their fields. It is the highest honor given by the department and represents the convergence of accomplishment in the lives of our honorees.

Ken and Shelby  discuss entrepreneurship and the evolving industry of Agricultural Marketing with Purdue Alum Travis Martin. Travis discusses the importance of being a life-long learner, challenges his business has encountered, and more about his professional journey from Purdue graduate to entrepreneur.

Travis Martin graduated from Purdue with a BS in Agribusiness Management in 2014. During his time at Purdue, he was involved in Old Masters, Mortar Board, a founding member of Purdue Ag Week Taskforce, Gimlet Honorary, Ag Ambassadors and more. Travis was also recently invited back to campus as a 2024 Rising Professional. Currently, he is the founder and owner of Imagine Content and Consulting, as well as the creator of AFA’s Magnetic Ag Newsletter.

Dr. Valerie Kilders and Colby Smock had the wonderful opportunity to sit down with the Holt brothers. Dr. Mattew Holt is a Purdue Ag Econ grad for both his bachelors and master’s study, and a recent recipient of the 2024 Distinguished Agriculture Alumni Awards. He is currently a professor and Department Head of Agricultural and Applied Economics at Virginia Tech. His brother, Dr. Mark Holt received his doctorate in Veterinary Medicine here at Purdue and is currently the President and CEO at First Farmers Bank & Trust. Enjoy this amazing conversation full of reflection, advice, and Boiler up!

Dr. Valerie Kilders and Colby Smock were accompanied by Kayla Zalesny and Casey Voll to discuss the wonderful opportunity that Purdue's NAMA is. From professional development to fun times, get an insight into all NAMA has to offer. 

You can also find Purdue's NAMA team on Instagram @purduenama!

Here in Tippecanoe County, we have been hearing a lot about the LEAP Project and water issues that have arisen as a result of its planning. Ken and Colby had a chance to talk with Dr. Jane Frankenberger who is a Professor in the Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering at Purdue and studies water use and quality issues about the project and related policies and concerns. You can read more about LEAP here: https://www.iedc.in.gov/leap-lebanon and about Dr. Frankenberger here: https://engineering.purdue.edu/~frankenb/. Dr. Frankenberger helps us understand the water policies in Indiana and highlights some of the community concerns about water use from Wabash River.