The Northern Crops Institute, located on the NDSU campus, has hired Mark Jirik as director. Jirik replaces Mark Weber, who will retire from the institute in December after serving as director for six years.
Jirik earned his master’s degree in agricultural economics from the University of Illinois and a bachelor’s degree in agricultural economics from NDSU. He has more than 17 years of experience in commodity merchandising and commercial management at Cargill.
Northern Crops Council chairman Greg Kessel, a producer from Belfield, North Dakota, said, “The council is confident that Mark is the right choice to lead the Northern Crops Institute. His education, skills and experience will provide the necessary leadership to continue to enhance its well established global reputation for the promotion of northern grown crops.”
Northern Crops Institute supports regional agriculture and value-added processing by conducting educational and technical programs that expand and maintain domestic and international markets for northern-grown crops. The institute is funded by the states of Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota and commodity groups in those states and Montana.
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