LuAnn Adams Commissioner Utah Department of Agriculture and Food LuAnn Adams was appointed commissioner of the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food in 2014. Credited with excellent organizational and collaborative skills, Adams is considered resourceful, conservative, trustworthy and self-motivated as she maintains constructive rapport with regulators, stakeholders and the public with a can-do attitude when pioneering innovative projects. She is passionate for preserving and protecting the healthy growth of agriculture, food safety and economic development of agri-businesses. Prior to her appointment to the UDAF, Commissioner Adams served as a Box Elder County Commissioner where she led efforts to create the state s first county-adopted Sage Grouse protection plan aimed at keeping the bird off the federal Threatened and Endangered Species list. As commissioner she initiated a $2.5 million improvement project for the Box Elder County Fairgrounds to help increase tourism and local revenue. She served on numerous boards such as: The Utah Association of Counties Board of Directors, UAC Legislative Committee, Past President of the Utah Recorder s Association, USU Advisory Board, NACO Agriculture & Rural Affairs Steering Committee. Prior to her county commission service, Adams was elected Box Elder County Recorder/Clerk/Surveyor and served until becoming county commissioner. Adams was born in Pocatello, Idaho. Her family moved to Wells, Nevada where she fell in love with ranching and declared she wanted to spend her life living and working around livestock; and she did. Commissioner Adams and husband Bob and five children and 12 grandchildren continue to live in Box Elder County where the family operates a cattle ranch and dry farm. Her favorite things to do are ride horses and help on the ranch. She enjoys buggy rides with her husband where one can smell the good smells of nature. She loves cooking and traditions are big at the Adams house. Commissioner Adams enjoyed high school barrel racing and pole bending prior to graduating from Wells High School. She holds an Associates Degree from the LDS Business College of Salt Lake City. She has compiled a book entitled; Box Elder County Historical Photo Tour 2,500 hardbound and 2,500 soft copies were published. Sales went towards preservation projects. Created in 1921, the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food (UDAF) is one of the oldest State agencies and oversees dozens of legislatively mandated programs that promote the healthy growth of Utah agriculture, conserve our natural resources and protect our food supply. One important program is the Utah Grazing Improvement Program, which works to improve Utah rangeland and watersheds. In the area of food safety, the Department inspects the State's 4,000 retail outlets and food processing plants for food quality and safety and correct item pricing. The Department's Utah's Own program works to reconnect consumers with their food supply and promotes the benefits of Utah's locally grown and processed foods (which represent 14 percent of Utah's economy). The Department also protects animal health and the State's $1 billion livestock industry as well as guards against invasive plant and insect species.
Dr. Noelle E. Cockett Executive Vice President and Provost Noelle E. Cockett was named 's Provost on July 1, 2013. Cockett was most recently Dean of the College of Agriculture and Applied Sciences and Vice President for Extension at. She grew up on a beef cattle ranch in eastern Montana and received a B.S. degree in Animal Science from Montana State University and M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Animal Breeding and Genetics from Oregon State University, and then spent five years as a Research Geneticist at the USDA, ARS U.S. Meat Animal Research Center in Clay Center, Nebraska. Noelle joined as an assistant professor in 1990, was promoted to associate professor in 1993, and to full professor in 1996. She has also served as the Interim Dean of the School of Graduate Studies, the Vice Provost for Academic Affairs, and the Interim Provost for USU.
Dr. Dillon Feuz Agricultural Economics Professor and Extension Specialist Dillon Feuz is an agricultural economics professor and extension specialist at the. His primary focus areas are in Livestock Marketing, and Farm & Ranch Management. He received his B.S. in Agribusiness in 1984 and his M.S. in Agricultural Economics in 1986 from the University of Wyoming and he received his Ph.D. in Agricultural Economics in 1990 from Colorado State University. Much of his extension work focuses risk management and livestock marketing issues. He has a national and international reputation and is frequently invited to speak to producers across the nation. He also maintains a cattle marketing analysis web site that is updated on a weekly basis and is used by cattle producers, university students and faculty, and other individuals around the globe.
Dr. Paul M. Jakus Professor; Associate Director Center for Society, Economy and the Environment Originally from Nevada, Paul Jakus received a BS degree in Agricultural and Resource Economics from the University of Nevada in 1982. After receiving an MS degree in Agricultural and Resource Economics from Colorado State University (1984), Paul spent two years serving as a Peace Corps Volunteer in The Gambia, West Africa. He earned his PH.D. in Economics at North Carolina State University in 1992, after which he joined the faculty at the University of Tennessee. Paul came to in 2001 and was promoted to Professor in 2003. He became head of the Department of Applied Economics in 2008. Paul's primary research interests involve non-market valuation of environmental goods. He has studied the economics of recycling and recreation, especially the role of fish consumption advisories in explaining angler behavior. His recent research interests involve behavioral responses to the risks of exposure to environmental contaminants such as mercury and arsenic. His research has appeared in leading environmental economics journals. Paul has served as an associate editor of J. Agricultural and Resource Economics, Water Resources Research, and Society and Natural Resources. A long-time rock-climber whose shoulder injuries have finally caught up to him, Paul has recently become an avid cyclist.
Dr. Bruce Miller Professor and Department Head School of Applied Sciences, Technology & Education Bruce Miller is a professor and department head for the School of Applied Sciences, Technology & Education (ASTE) at and has served in the role since 2004. He joined the department in 1991 after earning his PhD in Agricultural Education at Iowa State University. Prior to Iowa State, Dr. Miller earned his MS and BS degrees in Mechanized Agriculture from the University of Nebraska. Dr. Miller oversees the ASTE department, which currently has approximately 675 undergraduate students and 40 graduate students with faculty members located at the Logan, Uintah Basin and USU-Eastern (Price and San Juan) campuses. He currently teaches courses related to agricultural production and the environment and agricultural applications of electricity. Dr. Miller has been active in the North American Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture (NACTA-Life Member) and the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE 20 year member) professional organizations. He is on the Scientific Advisory Board for the Journal of Compost Science and Utilization and serves as a peer reviewer for several journals. He is also a National Institute of Health panel reviewer for the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health programs. Dr. Miller s research has primarily focused on the development and beneficial uses of organic agricultural by products.
James G. Robb Senior Agricultural Economist and Director Livestock Marketing Information Center Jim Robb is the Senior Agricultural Economist at the Livestock Marketing Information Center (LMIC) and for 18 years has served as the Director. He has written several hundred articles and newsletters on a variety of agricultural marketing and cattle industry topics. Jim is a regular speaker at conferences throughout North America and has given expert testimony to the US Senate Agriculture Committee. Prior to joining the LMIC, Jim was an Agricultural Economist at the University of Nebraska. He also has worked in the agricultural banking sector. Jim received degrees in Agricultural Economics from the University of California-Davis and from Michigan State University. The LMIC began in 1955 and is a unique cooperative effort that supports market education, research, and outlook. Currently, the Center includes 28 US Land Grant Universities, was a founding partner. The Center also includes six USDA agencies, and several associate organizations.
Brett Stuart Founding Partner Global AgriTrends Brett Stuart is a founding partner of Global AgriTrends. The Denver-based firm, founded in 2006, provides global agricultural analysis and market intelligence to a variety of clients around the world. He was formerly employed by the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) as their lead economist. In this capacity he conducted numerous research and analysis projects in the global meat trade area as well as advising U.S. trade officials on international meat access issues. Brett has conducted a variety of on-the-ground meat industry research around the globe. Brett also worked for CattleFax providing international analysis for clients in the cattle and beef sectors. Brett was raised on a cattle ranch operating in Utah and Wyoming and also worked as an auditor, accountant, and controller in the agriculture industry. He was involved in committee work and was a supporting economist for the Farm Foundation s report, The Future of Animal Agriculture in North America. He received an undergraduate degree in accounting at and an MBA from the University of Nebraska.