Speaker Information

SHELBY MYERS - Economist, American Farm Bureau Federation

Shelby Swain Myers is an Economist at the American Farm Bureau Federation with a focus on crop markets, farm policy, and sustainability markets. She and the rest of the economics team are responsible for tracking markets and examining the impact of various legislative and regulatory initiatives on agriculture. Shelby earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Agricultural Economics from Purdue University, with a research emphasis on agriculture policy and a thesis analyzing the Farm Bill. Before joining AFBF, Shelby spent four years on the Public Policy Team at Indiana Farm Bureau and had internship experiences with Purdue Extension and the National Council of Farmer Cooperatives.

In September of 2019, Shelby was appointed by USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue to serve on the USDA Advisory Committee on Beginning Farmers and Ranchers and she is currently the vice-chair. She additionally serves as an advisor for her sorority, Sigma Kappa, at Purdue University, and is a 4-H volunteer following her participation as a 10-year member. Though currently living in Washington, D.C., Shelby and her husband, Isaac, are still engaged on the family farm in New Richmond, IN where they raise corn and soybeans with beef cattle and custom sweet corn for a local distillery.

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Dr. Joe Outlaw - Regents Fellow, Professor and Extension Economist, Texas A&M

Dr. Outlaw serves as the Director of the Agricultural and Food Policy Center (AFPC) at Texas A&M University. In this role, Dr. Outlaw frequently interacts with members of Congress and key agricultural committee staff, as well as stakeholders, to provide feedback on the likely consequences of agricultural policy changes. His extension education and applied research activities are focused on assessing the impacts of commodity programs, crop insurance, renewable energy, and climate change legislation on U.S. agricultural operations.

Dr. Outlaw has received more than 30 state, regional and national awards for his policy education efforts and has been awarded Fellow of both the Southern and Western Agricultural Economics Associations.

Dr. Outlaw is originally from Devine, Texas. He received his B.S (1987), M.S. (1988), and Ph.D. (1992) degrees from Texas A&M University, all in agricultural economics.

Roundtable Panel

Max Dougherty – Carbon Business Development Lead at Bayer

Max Dougherty leads Business Development for the Bayer Carbon Initiative where he works with companies in the agri-food, fuel and fiber value-chain to establish partnerships that advance sustainability and decarbonization while benefiting farmers, consumers, and the environment. Max has been with Bayer for over 10 years, previously working at the Climate Corporation, Bayer’s digital farming division, in roles of increasing responsibility in Sales, Business Development, and Marketing.

Max is a graduate of the University of Minnesota with a degree in Applied Economics and holds an MBA form Washington University in Saint Louis. Max now resides in Saint Louis, Missouri but originally hails from a family farm in Iowa.

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BEN GORDON - Portfolio Leader, Carbon and Ecosystems Services Portfolio at Corteva Agriscience

Ben Gordon is responsible for developing holistic solutions to reward farmers for sustainable outcomes and drive farm profitability. Prior to this leadership role, Ben had been with Granular, a Corteva Agriscience Company, for three years working in corporate development and product management. Before joining Granular, he worked in management consulting and served as an Infantry Officer in the Army National Guard. Ben grew up in North Dakota surrounded by agriculture and earned his MBA from the University of Minnesota. Ben currently lives in San Francisco and enjoys backpacking in the mountains and spending time back in the Midwest with friends and family.

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Adam Kiel - Executive Vice President, Soil and Water Outcomes Fund

Adam Kiel is the Executive Vice President of the Soil and Water Outcomes Fund, a subsidiary of the Iowa Soybean Association. In this role Adam co-administers the Soil and Water Outcomes Fund with ReHarvest Partners. Adam has over 20 years of experience in the field and held a prior role as Director of Conservation for the Iowa Soybean Association. Adam has also held positions with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources and National Park Service. Adam grew up on a family farm near Decorah, Iowa. Adam earned a Bachelor of Science in geography from the University of Iowa in Iowa City.