March 7, 2019
Purdue Agricultural Economics event features Land O’Lakes Inc. leader
Beth Ford, President and CEO Land O’Lakes Inc.
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WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Purdue University’s Department of Agricultural Economics announced that Beth Ford, president and CEO of Land O’Lakes Inc., will take part April 12 in an interview-style Q&A session, “A Conversation with Beth Ford,” at the prestigious 45th Annual James C. Snyder Memorial Lecture.
Jayson Lusk, distinguished professor and head of Purdue’s Department of Agricultural Economics, will lead the discussion.
Ford assumed the role of president and CEO in August 2018. She previously held positions as the COO of Land O’Lakes Businesses, in which she oversaw Land O’Lakes’ WinField United, Purina Animal Nutrition and Dairy Foods business units, and as the head of Land O’Lakes’ Dairy Foods and Purina Animal Nutrition businesses, where she led record performance and growth, leveraging innovation through research and development to strengthen both brands.
The company recently provided funding to the Land O’Lakes Inc. Center for Experiential Learning and the Purina Pavilion, part of the Russell Creighton Hall of Animal Sciences on Purdue’s campus.
The event will focus on how Land O'Lakes positions itself within the value chain of agriculture to create a more sustainable planet while also maintaining and improving efficiency. Additionally, Lusk will ask questions relevant to artificial intelligence (supply chain management, value chains, big data, automation, food safety) and sustainability (growing populations, climate change, food security). Faculty, staff and students from the Department of Agricultural Economics submitted questions for Ford ahead of the event. Time will be also be set aside for audience questions.
The event takes place at 1:30 p.m. April 12 in Stewart Center’s Fowler Hall. The event is free and open to the public.
This Giant Leaps Series event is one of many celebrating Purdue’s Sesquicentennial, 150 Years of Giant Leaps. The yearlong celebration is highlighting Purdue’s remarkable history of giant leaps, while focusing on what giant leaps Purdue can take to address the world’s problems.
Ford joins a list of top professionals in agricultural business and economics invited to present to staff, students and other guests. The lecture series is the Department of Agricultural Economics’ signature event at Purdue University.
The series was established in 1975 to memorialize and encourage the continuation of the work and accomplishments of James C. Snyder, who served as a professor and researcher in agricultural economics at Purdue.
For more information about the event, contact Tracy Buck at tbuck08@purdue.edu or 765-494-4191, or visit the James C. Snyder Memorial Lecture website.
Writer: Kami Goodwin, 765-494-6999, kami@purdue.edu
Agricultural Communications: (765) 494-8415;
Maureen Manier, Department Head, mmanier@purdue.edu
