Mike Rupert is the director of agronomic sciences for the J.R. Simplot Company, an ISRC industry partner. He serves as a representative on the ISRC’s Industry Advisory Council (IAC) for Innvictis/Simplot. 

Based out of Sacramento, CA, Rupert leads the national agronomic sciences team for Simplot Grower Solutions. He oversees trials in crop protection, crop nutrition and seed product lines. 

Simplot is an international food and agriculture company based in Boise, Idaho that distributes Innvictis agriculture products. Simplot is an innovator in plant nutrition and food processing and in researching new ways to feed animals, sustain ecosystems and feed a growing global population.

Of his time on the ISRC’s Industry Advisory Council, Rupert said, “Working with the ISRC is a professional and innovation highlight of my year. The Council has expertise in the latest technologies, and we get to dialogue with some of the top researchers in agriculture. The knowledge and energy in the room to solve problems is invigorating. This past year we were also able to talk to some of Iowa State’s top graduate students in a poster session, which was truly impressive. These young scientists showed me that the agricultural legacy in Iowa is thriving and our agriculture future is in good hands with the talent ISU is developing.”

Rupert earned his MS in agronomy with a specialization in genetics and plant breeding from the University of California, Davis.