PRINCETON, Ky. — Research is one of the largest segments of the Kentucky Soybean Board’s budget, and with good reason. Production research and finding new uses for our versatile crop are vital to keeping Kentucky’s farm families profitable.
Kentucky Soybean Board Chairman Barry Alexander announced on Tuesday the hiring of Scott Mitchell to fill this new role. Mitchell, who hails from Clinton, has 38 years of experience in the ag industry. He most recently worked as a retail location manager for Nutrien Ag Solutions, following a 4-year stint as Division Seed Manager in that same location. He was a territory manager for Pioneer prior to his tenure at Nutrien.
This is something of a full-circle move for Mitchell, as he served on the Kentucky Soybean Association Board as an at-large/industry representative from 2002 to 2011. He has been married to Lai Ann for 38 years, and the couple has two children and five grandchildren with whom he enjoys spending time. “Working in ag will always be home to me,” he said. “In the ag community, family comes first, and the farmers we serve and our coworkers become family and lifelong friends.”
Executive Director Debbie Ellis is pleased with her choice. “I have known Scott since we were at the University of Kentucky together. He is well-connected in Kentucky agriculture, and I think he will be able to hit the ground running. Research – figuring out what projects our farmers want to see and working with unbiased university researchers to ensure that those projects are executed and the results shared with the farmers – is important to our Board’s leadership, and having a seasoned professional in this role is going to be beneficial to that part of our investment portfolio.” In addition to an Ag Ed degree from the University of Kentucky, Mitchell went on to earn a master’s in agriculture at Murray State University.
Mitchell is ready to get back in the groove following his retirement from Nutrien. “Working one-on-one with farmers and getting to know them and their operations has always been my favorite part of the job – whatever the job was. I look forward to helping guide the research process to maximize the profitability of farmers here in Kentucky.”
Mitchell’s employment goes hand-in-hand with the Board’s updated strategic plan, which centers around meeting farmers where they are. He will travel in the state, working on-farm with growers to solicit their input on production issues so that he can find researchers and projects to solve the problems growers are facing at the farm-gate level. He will also be responsible for translating “researcher-speak” into “farmer-speak,” and will be the point person at Kentucky Soybean for the organization’s research portfolio and proposals.
Mitchell will begin his duties after the first of the year, and farmers will have the opportunity to welcome him aboard at the Kentucky Commodity Conference, slated for January 16 at the Sloan Convention Center in Bowling Green.
–Rae Wagoner, Kentucky Soybean Board
