Austin Leefers Email & Phone Number

St. Louis, Mo, Us

Greater St. Louis

-Conducted agronomic scouting and technical support for Commercial and Seed Production acres-Executed field scale experimental programs including the in-field evaluation of new Benson Hill seed products and technologies -Managed the collection of farm and field level data from Benson Hill R&D and Commercial operations including those coming from new technologies for acquisition of unique data layers (i.e. drone, weather, soils, etc.) -Monitored completeness and measured quality of data collection objectives throughout the season -Partnered with internal teams to meet the field testing and data collection needs to support the Technology organization and Benson Hill Business Units’ key outcomes -Demonstrated value creation of Benson Hill products to farmers driving new technology adoption

Senegal

-Conduct and lead technical research to develop new methods to support the scaling up of myAgro's agricultural programs in cowpea, sorghum, millet, maize, and groundnut.-Provide technical advice for designing and implementing innovation projects related to climate change and agroecology (agroforestry, bio fertilizers, cover crops, etc.)-Identify new seed varieties in collaboration with the procurement team-Advise on data collection and conduct data analysis for the different innovation pilots-Supporting the development team in translating technical expertise into easy-to-understand language for non technical audiences

Haiti

-Provided agronomic and operational recommendations to rapidly scaling agribusiness working in El Salvador, Colombia, and Haiti with expansion in Latin America

St Louis, Missouri, United States

-Led the development of proposals to USAID, USDA, and non-governmental organizations for international agriculture development programs in Asia, Africa, and Latin America with budgets ranging from $500,000 to $22 million-Managed the operational, financial, reporting, and compliance functions of a $17 million USDA funded Aquaculture Development program in Cambodia (CAST)-Coordinated the efforts of partner land-grant universities and NGOs of the CAST project to ensure that project goals and metrics are achieved -Coached a staff of 15 on the requirements of a US Government Funded project

Mirebalais, Haiti

-Led a social agribusiness working with over 500 small farmers-Managed a team of 35 staff and oversaw a 1.5 million USD budget-Responsible for the daily operations of 3 business lines: peanuts, sorghum, and fruit tree seedling production, and launched 2 additional business lines: lime fruit and moringa seeds-Coordinated with private foundations, NGO partners, and USAID on reporting, field visits, and evaluations

Odienne, Cote D'Ivoire

-Built a startup social agriculture business in rural Côte d’Ivoire -Recruited and led a team of 20 local and international staff -Oversaw a 600 000 USD budget, 8% under budget in 2017.-Built an internal capacity building system targeting the adoption of tablets, mobile money, and cloud-based data management-Developed accounting, reporting and monitoring and evaluation systems, managed the offshoring of these functions to India-Planned and implemented a soya and maize training program for over 400 farmers across four African language groups -Managed relations between investors, grant funders, researchers, and grain buyers

Korowgwe, Tanzania

-Managed a cooperative of 25 people that fosters human capital development and improves income security through agricultural businesses. -Devised a system for group and individual savings to meet community leaders’ goal of transitioning away from micro-loans. Implemented the system in six months. Trained community leaders to manage the new system after our departure. -Designed an agroforestry system, trained farmers, and planted in the rainforest of Tanzania in four months. - Designed, fabricated, and installed 17 custom gravity-fed irrigation systems. Completed in three months, 18% below budget.

Carlinville, Il

-Operational Activities: Managed soil fertility. Planted, maintained, and harvested 750 acres of maize. Tended 900 head of beef cattle. Repaired farm buildings and equipment as needed. -Financial Responsibilities: Managed accounting, payroll, and cash flow for the business.

Doctor Of Philosophy - Phd, Plant Breeding, Genetics, And Genomics

Graduate Certificate - Data Science & Analytics

Bachelor Of Science - Bs, Crop & Soil Science, Summa Cum Laude

Research Track

Master Of International Business, With Distiction

B.A., International Studies