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. Jeff Martus at Star of the West Milling Company has been part of Michigan agriculture in some way his entire life, and a Certified Crop Adviser since 2009. Jeff has worked at Star of the West since 2002, and currently works out of the Richville location. Jeff grew up on a dairy farm in the Brown City area. While he was raised milking cows, Jeff says his passion for the crop production side of the business led him to pursue his Crop and Soil Science degree at MSU. “I always knew I loved the crop production aspects, so I wanted to pursue that. I realized there was more to do outside of cattle,” he says. In 2005, after graduation, Jeff joined Star of the West full-time as a field sales representative at the Richville location. Throughout his nearly 20 years advising farmers in one of Michigan’s most productive farming regions, Jeff is quick to point out the diversity of production he works on – from corn and soybeans, and non-GMO soybeans, to dry beans, sugarbeets, pickles, wheat and beyond. Jeff says one of the main benefits of the CCA program, in addition to professional recognition of an agronomist’s skills, is the need for continuing education to stay ahead on current practices and technology. “An important part of this program is the need to earn credits to continue as a CCA. This helps make sure we all do our part to stay up on the latest happening in the industry,” he says. Many of those same activities provide opportunities for networking, which is an important aspect of the program. “I strongly recommend earning your CCA because you build strong professional relationships, in addition to the grower relationships we all maintain. It’s a big reason I recommend the program to our younger agronomists and push them to become CCAs,” says Jeff. Like most in the industry, Jeff has experienced major changes in agricultural technology and innovation the past two decades, and also credits CCA programming for playing a part in staying on top of it. In addition to his day-to-day work at Star of the West and time spent with his family, including wife and four young children, Jeff also continues to step up and support the broader agricultural industry. He served as the Michigan CCA Chair in 2022, and remains on the CCA Board, as well as the Board of the Michigan Crop Improvement Association. Jeff has also stepped up as a program moderator for MABA conferences and you can find him at a range of ag industry events throughout the year. We appreciate Jeff for his contributions to Michigan agriculture and the Michigan CCA Program!
