advancing digital technology revolution

Chad Fiechter is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Agricultural Economics at Purdue University and is a member of the IDAAS Executive Committee. After spending nearly, a decade farming in Northeastern Indiana, Chad returned to graduate school; first to Cornell University for a MS degree and then Purdue for his PhD. Chad’s farming experience motivates and informs his research and outreach on agricultural finance, farm/agribusiness management, and agricultural policy. He is an active faculty member of Purdue’s Center for Commercial Agriculture and Center for Food and Ag Business. He teaches microeconomics and is specifically interested in how information affects farm-level decision-making.

Matt Dimmic has been discovering and developing novel agricultural solutions at the digital interface for almost 20 years. He began his career began in a startup where he helped build a computational discovery engine to find novel technology for controlling nematodes and other pathogens. He received his Ph.D. in Biophysics at the University of Michigan, and holds dual Bachelor of Science degrees in Biology and Chemistry from the University of Missouri. Within Bayer’s Plant Biotech division he combined machine learning techniques with new sequencing technology to improve crops and protect them from pests. He has also worked in Monsanto’s Chemistry division to invent new biological solutions for crop protection, and he played a central role in developing the company’s digital strategy for R&D. Now as the Director of Modeling in Climate LLC’s Science team, and a Hub Lead for Data Science in Bayer’s Digital Farming Solutions (DFS) unit. His current team uses data from millions of acres globally to build the recommendation models, features, and insights that power Bayer’s digital solutions for growers, helping them to grow food more sustainably. 

Autumn Freeman earned her Associate of Science in Agribusiness from Vincennes University and Purdue University. Autumn has held several key positions at Melon Acres, a 3rd generation 1000-acre family operation growing melons, sweet corn, asparagus and other vegetables in Oaktown, IN. Autumn started as a Food Safety Coordinator in 2009. In her current role as Manager of Food Safety and Produce Sales, she oversees the safety and quality of the farm’s produce and ensures compliance with industry standards and regulations. Autumn manages sales operations to commercial retailers and supermarkets across the Midwest. Ms. Freeman has served on the National Watermelon Promotion Board and is President of the Eastern Cantaloupe Growers Association.

Growing up in Wisconsin and working on local dairy farms was a strong influence for Mike to earn a bachelor’s degree from the University of Wisconsin, River Falls in dairy science. He continued his education focusing on feedlot nutrition by earning his Master’s and Doctorate degree in Ruminant Nutrition from Iowa State University and Oklahoma State University respectively. After 8 years in the Feed Industry as a Beef Nutritionist he joined Elanco working as a Beef Technical Consultant. He supports customers and industry nutritionists through the launch of new Elanco products. He spent 10 years with a variety of roles focusing on global research and development, regulatory, new product planning and portfolio management.  In 2015, Mike joined the Elanco Knowledge Solutions team to work with the Innovation, Operations and Advanced Analytics teams focused on delivering customers digital solutions that enable better management decisions using their own data.  In 2021, Mike led the team that created a new computer vision-based cattle sorting technology called PenPoint Sort now enabling customers to make composition-based sorting decisions on over 2 million animals per year.  In 2024, he began leading a team within EKS that works cross-functionally on the development and execution of Elanco’s livestock sustainability emission reduction strategy for the Dairy, Beef, Swine and Poultry businesses.

Ben Sheldon was born and raised on a small swine and grain operation in southern Indiana and spent most of his youth tinkering on older farm equipment. Following his passions, Ben earned a degree in Agribusiness Management from Purdue University. Ben’s career post college has included a variety of roles within the CNH Industrial family of brands, including Business Analyst, Technology Project Manager for Africa, the Middle East, and Asia, and Technology Marketing Manager for the New Holland brand in North America. Ben recently joined Raven North America to lead their independent dealer network as Sales Manager for the US and Canada.