David Howell

U.S. Soybean Farmer

Indiana

Along wit​h his wife, Mary, David founded Howell Farms in 1972 on rented land with borrowed equipment. Their operations began with traditional corn and soybean production, then diversified with the addition of fruits and vegetables. They successfully expanded their family business to enable the inclusion of the second generation, whose members have chosen to pursue agriculture as their careers after completing university degrees. The Howell Family farm grows several hundred acres of processing tomatoes, barley for malting, and employ poly-cropping with wheat and soybeans. Additionally, the total traditional corn and soybean production has grown to include several thousand acres spread across central Indiana and in Western Bahia, Brazil. The Howells regard their land as their most valuable natural resource to be cared for without exception. Intensive Sustainability is a goal which pervades naturally in every facet of their planning and operations. They are driven to continually increase production efficiently in their model of a large commercial, family farm and believe this model will answer critical, global food demands of the future. David earned both bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Purdue University in agricultural economics. He serves on the Indiana Grain Indemnity Corporation Board of Directors and the Purdue Center for Commercial Agriculture Advisory Board. Mr. Howell was a founding board member of the Indiana Corn Marketing Council and has previously served on the Advisory Council for the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, Indiana Department of Agriculture Advisory Board, and the Dean’s Advisory Committee at Purdue. David was named a Distinguished Alumnus of Purdue University and an Indiana Master Farmer.