Skip to Main Content

Steven E. Smith Memorial Scholarship honors alumnus

I

n memory of Steven Smith, a distinguished alumnus and former senior director of agriculture for Red Gold, Red Gold and Purdue University College of Agriculture recently announced the creation of the Steven E. Smith Memorial Scholarship.

“Steve was a tremendous partner to Purdue Agriculture as well as with everyone with whom he worked,” said Karen Plaut, the Glenn W. Sample Dean of Purdue Agriculture. “He was an innovative thinker and contributor who always looked out for and worked on behalf of growers.”

Smith, a 2009 Purdue Distinguished Agriculture Alumni award winner, was a founding member of FieldWatch and its first registry, DriftWatch, developed in collaboration with Purdue’s department of agricultural and biological engineering.

Steve Smith portrait

Smith spent over 32 years with Red Gold, the world’s largest privately-held tomato canner. He directed the company’s agricultural activities from variety development through harvesting.  Smith was co-chair for Red Gold’s sustainability initiative and served on the Sysco Corporation National Sustainability Advisory Board.

“I am so proud of Steve’s accomplishments and I’m so grateful for the opportunity for an annual scholarship to grow future agricultural leaders like him,” said Brian Reichart, President and CEO of Red Gold. “Steve was so proud of the growers, the industry, and suppliers and was genuinely admired by all who had the pleasure to meet or work with him including my own parents Fran and Ernie Reichart.”

Smith was an advocate for the processing tomato industry in areas of research, federal crop insurance and product labeling. He served in several capacities with the Mid-America Food Processor Association who named him the H.D. Brown Person of the Year in 2015. Smith was also the founder and chairman of the Save Our Crops Coalition.

Red Gold has contributed $50,000 to fund the annual scholarship. Industry friends, growers, employees of Red Gold and suppliers have given an additional $42,000. Donations can be made here

The scholarship recipient will be announced annually at the Purdue Ag Alumni Fish Fry. Ideal candidates will have major and career interests aligned with specialty crops and a strong desire to be involved in state and federal agriculture policy.

In addition to a $5,000 scholarship, the awardees will take part in the Red Gold “Washington D.C. Fly-in” and other events to learn about agricultural policy and meet Midwestern tomato crop growers.

Featured Stories

Maya Fulton stands against the Continuum sculptures outside of Lynn Hall.
How an entomology student made her veterinary school dreams a reality

As a first-year student in the Purdue College of Veterinary Medicine, Fulton has quickly become...

Read More
Student Matthew Haan stands with another person in front of mountains in the Philippines
Horticultural and Landscape Architecture student discusses summer research and training in the Philippines

With limited international travel experience and a student’s budget, Matthew Haan was...

Read More
corn silk
Stalk and Ear Rots: The Importance of Identifying Them Now to Help with Harvest Decisions

It is now time to evaluate fields for any stalk or ear rot symptoms. This will aid in making...

Read More
A lawn of tall fescue grass.
From lawn care to gardening, keeping thumbs green through the fall is a must

The sun is setting earlier, temperatures are dropping and the countdown to the final mow of the...

Read More
Legumes in greenhouse
Purdue collaborates with Michigan State on global legume systems research program

A program led by Michigan State University’s (MSU) College of Agriculture and Natural...

Read More
Mohit Verma, professor of agricultural and biological engineering in Purdue University’s College of Agriculture, holds a prototype for a low-cost test to diagnose Covid-19 in animals
Purdue developing field test to detect SARS-CoV-2 virus in dozens of host species

Purdue University has received $2.7 million in federal funding from the U.S. Department of...

Read More
To Top