About Me
The Farmer
As a third-generation farmer, I encountered some of the challenges facing America's Agriculture industry. These include balancing profitability and sustainability while managing rising costs with stagnant prices.
I began contributing on our farm in any way I could: herding cattle, driving trucks and tractors, and eventually running the combine. Growing bread wheat, malting barley, and even some canola in it's early days, we worked hard to make dry-land farming work on very little rain. As each year came to a close, it felt rewarding knowing as a family, we were growing food to feed the world.
The Scientist
My early years on the farm led me to pursue a career in Plant Sciences. After finishing my B.S. in Biotechnology from Montana State University in 2006, I earned my Ph.D. in Molecular Plant Sciences from Washington State University in December 2012. Through my research, I have worked with plants including: wheat, sweet cherry, apples, pears, and barley. See my publications on Google Scholar.
The Entrepreneur
In 2011, I co-founded Phytelligence, Inc to produce highly desired rootstock for tree fruit growers. As the first full-time employee and Director of Operations, I helped engage with customers and investors to raise $3M to grow our company. I built my production team and leadership structure while developing the SOPs to grow and track >500,000 plantlets across ten species.