Greensburg, in. — The Greensburg/Decatur County Chamber of Commerce annual Future in Farming Ag dinner will be held Thursday, April 19, at the Knights of Columbus Hall in Greensburg. The event will feature the newly appointed Director of the Indiana State Department of Agriculture, Bruce Kettler. Tickets for the event, which includes dinner, are available on the Greensburg/Decatur County Chamber of Commerce website. Price to attend is $15 per person. The last day to purchase tickets is Monday, April 16.
Kettler was the Chamber’s featured speaker in 2015 while serving as the Director of Public Relations for Beck’s Hybrids. He was appointed State Ag Director in January of 2018 by Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb.
Kettler also serves as the Director of Agribusiness Development for the Indiana Economic Development Corporation and reports directly to Lt. Governor Suzanne Crouch, who serves as Indiana’s Secretary of Agriculture and Rural Development.
He brings to the department more than 30 years of agricultural leadership experience and knowledge, ranging from production to sales to community and industry relations. Bruce grew up in western Ohio and developed a passion and appreciation for agriculture at an early age. He was a member of 4-H and FFA, worked on a dairy farm and served as the Ohio FFA President, as well as Vice President for National FFA. After his years of service, Bruce attended The Ohio State University and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Agronomy with emphasis in Agricultural Business.
He began his career in 1987 at Dow AgroSciences where he spent 17 years working in a variety of roles including sales and marketing, finance management, advertising and public relations support. In 2006, Bruce joined Beck’s Hybrids as a sales consultant. During his 11 year tenure there, Bruce also worked as an Area Team Leader, Field Sales Manager and Director of Public Relations.
Along with having a diverse background in agriculture, Bruce also has vast leadership experience and is an active member of the community. He is a 2012 graduate of the Indiana Agricultural Leadership Program where he experienced many facets of Indiana agriculture from policy formation to rural development and a two-week study of international agriculture in India. He also serves on the Ohio State University President’s Alumni Advisory Council and is a member of the Board of Trustees for Riverview Health in Hamilton County. Formerly, Bruce served as a board member for the Hamilton County Economic Development Corporation and as the industry representative for the Illinois Corn Growers Board.
Bruce’s family is dedicated to the agricultural industry as his wife Tammy is Senior Director of Corporate Relations for the College of Agriculture, Purdue University. His son Cory is involved in production agriculture at Beck’s Hybrids, and his daughter Christy graduated from Purdue University majoring in Agronomy.
At ISDA, Bruce’s main priorities include: advocating on behalf of Indiana agriculture at the local, state and federal level; supporting existing agribusinesses while attracting new ones to the state; raising awareness about the importance of agricultural education and FFA; promoting the conservation of Indiana’s land and water resources; and working with farmers, agencies and industry partners to take Indiana agriculture to the next level, all of which will be the focus of his presentation at the Future in Farming event.
The Greensburg/Decatur County Chamber of Commerce is a not-for-profit member-based business and community resource organization serving Greensburg and Decatur County since 1906. Our mission is to: Build a Positive Business Environment by providing strategic leadership, advocacy and resources for our members.
