Charles Heady
Senior Crush Merchant and Oilseeds Manager, Cargill Agricultural Supply Chain, North America
I currently merchandise dried distiller grain (DDG) for 21 plants throughout the United States, which represents approximately 60% of Cargill Animal Nutrition’s (CAN) total DDG usage in the U.S.A. I also trade grains (corn, sorghum, wheat) for three of our CAN feed mills in the Southeast & soybean meal for four plants in the Interiors.
I’m willing to help provide background information for lesson content, do a virtual classroom visit via Skype, and suggest possible field trips.
What is the benefit of collaboration between industry and education?
The benefit of collaboration between industry and education allows students to correlate fundamental principles taught in the classroom to the real world industrial landscape. Encouraging students to have a curious passion to learn more by applying fundamentals taught in the classroom to an industry will ultimately build the conceptual strength the future generation of America needs to be successful.
What do teachers and students need to know about your industry?
The agricultural industry is constantly changing and will always be in need of new talent. Just because someone pursues a career in the agricultural sector does not necessarily mean they’ll be working on a farm. For instance, I work in an office suite behind a computer; most of my day consist of analyzing commodity markets, buying and selling commodity futures contracts, negotiating with suppliers on win-win transactions, and interacting with my teammates. From farming to crop science or risk management, the agricultural industry as a whole has countless career paths that are suitable for a wide variety of interests. It’s a great industry which taught me that if you do what you love, you’ll never work a day in your life – instead you’ll show up to the office every day and have fun!
Share this