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Mark A. Otto, MS Potato and Integrated Pest Management Specialist
MS Entomology (Vegetable Pest Management), MSU BS Crop and Soil Science, MSU Research Committee member Michigan Potato Industry Commission Cropping Systems Sub-committee member Michigan Agriculture Environmental Assurance Program, Michigan Department Agriculture and Rural Development
Mark has been the Potato and Integrated Pest Management Specialist since founding the company with Vernon Meints, PhD in 1983. He became the President and Managing Partner after Dr. Meints’ death in 1994. Prior to forming Agri-Business Consultants, Inc., Mark was the Vegetable and Potato Integrated Pest Management Program Leader for MSU Extension.
Mark has internalized one of MSU’s core values: “From Land Grant to World Grant” throughout his career. He and his wife Jennifer were Peace Corps volunteers in the Philippines from 1973-1975. Since 2006 Mark has volunteered his time to help support US AID’s Farmer-to-Farmer for Food Security Programs in Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, Georgia and Bangladesh. These programs were administered by either Winrock International http://www.winrock.org/about_us.asp or CNFA http://www.cnfa.org/about/mission-vision/. In 2012, Mark was hired as a Consultant for a large US AID programming effort: The Georgia Economic Prosperity Initiative. He developed potato production, harvest and storage management training programs and trained local agronomists to deliver them.
Steve W. Wagner, MS Field Crop Management Specialist
MS Entomology, University Illinois BA Biology, Wabash College Certified Crop Advisor Member National Alliance of Independent Crop Consultants
Steve's work interests include finding the within field variability of soils and crop yields, trouble shooting production problems, and providing expertise in corn stand counts, corn nitrogen, test plots, and wheat scouting. Steve joined Agri-Business Consultants, Inc. in 1990, providing consulting and soil sampling services. Although no longer active in this area, he is a certified CNMP writer. He has provided contract research services to Ag companies, working on efficacy trials (how well does the product work) and regulatory trials (data provided to government for registration of products). Before joining the company he worked for Northern FS at a fertilizer plant just west of Chicago, was a research technician in the MSU Department of Entomology, and worked for FMC Ag Chemical Group as a sales rep in Michigan and a field researcher.
Casey Wieczorek Carr, MS Training Director and Independent Crop Consultant
MS Biology, University of Texas BS Zoology, MSU
Casey has worked with Agri-Business Consultants, Inc. since 2011. She trains new potato scouts and coordinates instruction of pest and plant health dynamics throughout the potato growing season. Casey will be joining Agri-Business Consultants, Inc. full time in 2014 as an Independent Crop Consultant upon completion of her consultant training.
Casey’s experiences include large scale eradication of invasive weed species, research in plant and wildlife interactions and insect behavior. Casey currently teaches Biology courses at Montcalm Community College. She values the advancement and use of Integrated Pest Management techniques among Michigan farmers today. Her efforts focus on the improvement of insect and other pest management practices to increase crop yields and protect Michigan’s environment.
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Specialists in Crop Production and Protection |
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911 Edison Ave Lansing, MI 48910-3339 Phone: 517 243-5292 Fax: 517 482-7506 |
