The Coleman Brothers, Salesman and Grain Merchandiser and Simplot Grower Solutions Crop Advisor Career Snapshot: Chad and Will Coleman

Name: Chad and Will Coleman

Position: Salesman and Grain Merchandiser and Simplot Grower Solutions Crop Advisor

Location: Wynne, Arkansas and Marvelle, Arkansas

Education: Agricultural Economics and Crop Management at the University of Arkansas

Chad Coleman has been in the seed business for 10 years, spending the last two as a salesman and grain merchandiser serving farmers in Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas, and Texas for Erwin-Keith, a company specializing in new crop variety development. Although Chad grew up in a farming family, his professional career in the ag industry first truly began to take root while interning with the well-known company AgriGold after earning his master’s degree in Agricultural Economics with an emphasis on foreign trade policy from the University of Arkansas. To this day, Chad considers taking the internship as one of the best decisions he ever made. Without the foundational knowledge learned while earning his advanced degree and the practical skills developed during his internship, Chad contends he would never have been able to get as far as he has come in his career, asserting the importance of education.

Chad recognizes the growing disconnect between today’s youth and their agricultural literacy, remarking on the fact that many children actually believe their food was made in a store. He insists that agriculture should be taught in schools so children will understand where food really comes from and how it is produced. In doing so, Chad says students will come to appreciate the ag industry and drive their vocational interest in the diverse field of agriculture.

“You can be an agronomist, salesman, computer tech, or a mechanic,” he said. “There are so many options in agriculture that no other industry can give you.”

Chad’s brother, Will, a crop advisor for Simplot Grower Solutions in Marvell, Arkansas specializing in rice, beans and corn production – advising his growers on their crops as if they were his own.

“I check it just like it’s mine,” he said. “I feel responsible for the crop they make.”

As a crop advisor, it is Will’s responsibility to scout crops and consult on variety selection along with many other tasks. Will began scouting cotton after graduating college in 2013 and continued to until 2017 before joining Simplot. Will also began farming for himself in 2019. Like his brother, Will graduated from the University of Arkansas with a bachelor’s degree in Crop Management.

Both brothers draw their inspiration and appreciation for education and the ag industry from their mother. During their childhood, she worked for Farm Bureau during which she started an Ag in a Classroom program at Joe T. Robinson High School in Little Rock.

“We’ve gotten to see it from Ag in a classroom perspective, introducing people, and now we’re doing it every day,” he said.

The Coleman brothers are thrilled to continue producing crops and doing their part to grow the industry.

To learn more about career opportunities in agriculture, click here.

To find college majors in agriculture and salary information, visit MyMajors.com.