Michigan is home to more than 300 Certified Crop Advisers who are certified through the American Society of Agronomy, and during the coming months, MABA is spotlighting their contributions to Michigan agriculture! Michigan’s Certified Crop Adviser (CCA) program provides resources, continuing education and networking opportunities for professional agronomists spanning our state’s agricultural industry. More than 300 Michigan professional agronomists are CCAs, and they bring a wide range of experience and skills to our state’s agricultural industry! We recently visited with Andrew Greenhoe, an agronomist with Michigan Agricultural Commodities, Inc. (MAC) who earned his CCA certification early in his career and continues to put it to great use! Andrew was raised on a farm in Sheridan, MI, in Montcalm County, where he still lives today. The family farm was a dairy until 2008, and since then has been a cash crop and beef farm. Andrew continues the farming legacy alongside his parents. His experiences in agriculture led Andrew to Michigan State University, where he earned a degree in Crop and Soil Science, focusing on agribusiness management. During college he joined MAC as an intern, where his duties entailed “all of the above” — from sweeping bins to loading trains, scouting fields, spreading fertilizer, and providing customer service. Andrew had an opportunity to learn the full scope of the business. The following summer, he interned again, and ultimately joined MAC full-time in 2015. Today, as an agronomy sales and chemical purchasing staff member at MAC, Andrew helps manage seed and chemical purchases for customers, and delivers expert agronomic advice to farmers. Andrew became a Certified Crop Advisor early in his career – in 2016 – to help bolster his professional advancement and ability to serve growers. “It’s really a continuation of my education outside of college, and has given me the opportunity to learn new skills to help growers. It’s an evolving industry and we always need to be learning in agriculture,” he says. Andrew also says the program’s recurring credit requirements are a push to expand crop knowledge. “It pushes you out of your comfort zone of what you’re used to and provides continuing education opportunities.” Through this type of continuing education, Andrew also earned the 4R Nutrient Management Specialty certification, which complements efforts to optimize nutrient applications, helping farmers improve ROI while protecting the health of the soil and water. For Andrew, participation in the CCA program is one part of his efforts to stay ahead of the curve on topics like ag technology and nutrient stewardship. “I think technology in the ag industry is booming. It comes back to why I’m passionate about agriculture. It’s always evolving with new technological advancements and research – it’s exciting to see where we’ll be in the next decade.” Andrew is a great example among many CCAs in Michigan who have leveraged this program to complement their skills and grow their professional abilities! You can learn more about the program by visiting www.certifiedcropadviser.org.
