Nov. 2: The National Corn Growers Association today welcomed back Paul Bertels, former director of biotechnology and economic analysis, after a lengthy military leave. Bertels will be taking on a new role as NCGA’s director of agricultural economic analysis and environmental impacts.

“Paul is always willing to tackle difficult tasks and succeeds due to his ability to visualize the situation and anticipate possible difficulties,”said NCGA Vice President of Research and Business Development Dr. Richard Glass. “These skills, combined with his dedicated nature and natural motivation, make Paul a valuable asset to our organization.”

In his new role, he will be responsible for the overall agricultural economic analyses of all relevant sectors of corn production and marketing systems. These sectors include livestock, swine, poultry and dairy. Should conditions necessitate, Bertels will analyze any economic area with a significant impact upon U.S. corn growers.

Bertels will also analyze the environmental impacts of the aforementioned sectors on food and fuel, biofuels, ethanol, cellulosics and indirect land use. Additionally, Bertels will evaluate the environmental impact of legislative decisions made in Washington DC.

“Paul has always been a tremendous resource due to his ability to generate excellent agricultural economic analysis,” said Dr. Richard Glass. “We are very glad for his safe return and know that he will hit the ground running.”

Bertels has considerable analysis experience. Prior to his employment at NCGA, he worked for the Agricultural Research Service as an ag economist. This new position represents another step in his continuous growth process.

Bertels returns after a 14 month tour of Afghanistan where he served in the U.S. Army as a mentor to an Afghan battalion. Bertels will report to directly to Dr. Glass.