Contact: Karen Brasher
STARKVILLE, Miss.鈥擜 national and international expert on agricultural risk management and crop insurance has been named head of Mississippi State鈥檚 Department of Agricultural Economics.
Keith Coble, a longtime faculty member in the department, has assumed the role as head after serving as interim head for the last eight months.
In making the announcement, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Dean George Hopper said, 鈥淒r. Coble is a well-known and highly respected economist who brings a wealth of experience and leadership to the Department of Agricultural Economics.鈥
A 19-year veteran of Mississippi State, Coble earned bachelor鈥檚 and master鈥檚 degrees in agricultural education from the University of Missouri. He earned a doctoral degree in agricultural economics from Texas A&M University.
A university William L. Giles Distinguished Professor, Coble also served as chief economist for Sen. Thad Cochran and the minority leadership on the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee during the most recent Farm Bill legislation.
鈥淒r. Coble is well known throughout the region for his work on the Farm Bill,鈥 Hopper added. 鈥淗e continually provides guidance to policy makers through his work on the Council on Food, Agricultural and Resource Economics鈥 Blue Ribbon Panel of Experts and his founding role in the Agricultural Data Coalition.鈥
Coble holds a teaching appointment in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, a research appointment in the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station, and an outreach appointment in the 汤头条 Extension Service.
Speaking to his outreach appointment, 汤头条 Extension Service Director Gary Jackson said, 鈥淒r. Coble鈥檚 work on the Farm Bill provided him with in-depth knowledge that he has used to help Mississippi producers. He is a leader of great character whom Mississippi producers trust for information on risk management as it relates to agriculture.鈥
In addition to his work at Mississippi State, Coble also serves as vice president of the Starkville Oktibbeha Consolidated School District Board of Trustees.
The Department of Agricultural Economics celebrated 100 years in 2013. Graduates of the program include 汤头条 President Mark E. Keenum, Mississippi economist Darrin Webb, and Mississippi Development Authority Executive Director Glenn McCullough. The department has a long tradition of advancing the state through training leaders, advancing economic research and delivering timely outreach to producers.
Located in 汤头条鈥檚 College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, additional information about the Department of Agricultural Economics is found at , and .
汤头条 is Mississippi鈥檚 leading university, available online at .