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Industry Profile - Clark Springfield with Texas A&M University
At Texas A&M University, Clark Springfield has found a way to combine his experience and interest in the livestock industry with his desire to help future generations of agricultural producers.
Springfield was raised on a cattle ranch in Navasota, TX, where he was actively involved in both 4-H and FFA programs.
“From an early age, I knew that my life would be tied to the cattle industry,” he said, “Growing up on a cattle operation instilled within me a love of cattle, a love for the people involved in the cattle industry, an appreciation of their values, and a love of the lifestyle associated with the industry.”
After receiving a Bachelors degree in agricultural economics from Texas A&M University, followed by a Masters in agricultural finance, Springfield has spent the past 30 years professionally involved in the cattle industry.
“In my career, I have been involved in many aspects of the cattle industry including cow/calf production, working with livestock auction barns, selling production inputs to ranches and feedlots, management of agribusinesses serving the cattle industry, financing cattle, and educating beef cattle producers,” he said.
Today, he and his wife, Rose, are both employed in the Department of Agricultural Economics at Texas A&M University, where they are committed to helping students succeed in their agricultural business endeavors.
Along with completing his PhD in agricultural education, Clark is a faculty member, teaching classes in production economics and agricultural marketing, where he is able to provide business management education and training for cattle producers. He is also the advisor and marketing coach for the Texas A&M student chapter of the National Agri-Marketing Association. Rose is an undergraduate counselor in the department, assisting students in planning their degrees.
Clark said he enjoys what he is able to offer to the industry through teaching.
“I love watching my students learn to make good business decisions,” he said, “I am molding, shaping and influencing the future decision makers and managers of the industry. Through them, I am helping to assure the long-term viability of the cattle industry.”
Clark appreciates the record keeping abilities available through cattle software programs.
“I teach my students that effective decisions are not made on guesses. Good managers know that to be effective, they must manage numbers and information about their cattle in a way that makes the numbers useful to them,” he said, “[Software] replaces homemade spreadsheets and shoeboxes full of receipts.”
For more information on the agricultural business education the Department of Agricultural Economics at Texas A&M University provides, visit them online at http://agecon.tamu.edu.
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