Center For Food And Agricultural Business Program To Focus On Strategic Decisions

Apr 27, 2016

By Jennifer Stewart-Burton

Purdue University’s Center for Food and Agricultural Business will offer the Strategic Decision Making program June 28-30 in West Lafayette to help ag business leaders make better decisions.

The program is geared toward food and agribusiness leaders and managers who are considering growth or investment opportunities, investigating new market access, developing product strategies or prioritizing research and development - among other major decisions.

“The food and agribusiness climate is fast-paced and competitive, which requires business leaders to make potentially game-changing decisions pretty quickly,” said Allan Gray, the center’s director and professor of agricultural economics. “But even in today’s environment, there’s a difference between taking strategic chances and making rash decisions. Quick decisions still need to be made with discipline.”

Gray teaches Strategic Decision Making alongside Michael Boehlje, distinguished professor of agricultural economics, and Nicole Olynk Widmar, associate professor of agricultural economics.

Corn and silos Individual feedback

The program offers ways to effectively make and implement decisions, including defining problems, setting objectives, considering alternatives, describing consequences and identifying tradeoffs. It also offers frameworks for minimizing risk while capturing potential reward.

Participants are encouraged to come to the program with a looming decision in mind. Faculty instructors will walk the class through a guided process, then give individual feedback.

Register and find more information at http://agribusiness.purdue.edu/seminars-and-events/strategic-decision-making. Questions should be directed to April Sauer, the center’s managing director, at 765-494-4328 or aasauer@purdue.edu.

As a lead-up to the program, Boehlje wrote a recent blog article focused on disciplined decision-making and how to salvage value when a poor decision has been made. The article, “Capturing value from a bad decision,” is available at http://agribusiness.purdue.edu/blog/capturing-value-from-a-bad-decision.

Strategic Decision Making is presented in partnership with the Agricultural Retailers Association.

Source:purdue.edu

Video: Intrauterine Vaccines in Swine - Dr. Heather Wilson

In this episode of The Swine it Podcast Show Canada, Dr. Heather Wilson from VIDO at the University of Saskatchewan explains how intrauterine vaccination is being developed as a new option for swine health. She shares how formulation, adjuvants, and delivery methods influence immune responses and what early trials reveal about safety and reproductive performance. Listen now on all major platforms.

"The idea was that an intrauterine vaccine might avoid a tolerance response and instead create an active immune response."

Meet the guest: Dr. Heather Wilson / heather-wilson-a8043641 is a Senior Scientist and Program Manager at the Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization at the University of Saskatchewan. Her work centers on vaccine formulation and delivery in pigs, including the development of intrauterine vaccination to support reproductive health and passive protection of piglets. Her background spans biochemistry, immunology, and functional pathogenomics.