— The Indiana State Department of Agriculture recently announced the hiring of Clark Smith as director of the Indiana Grain Buyers and Warehouse Licensing Agency.

A southern Indiana native, Smith was raised in Brownstown and graduated from Brownstown Central High School in 2006. He and his wife now manage and oversee a family Angus cattle herd near Greenfield. Smith attended Indiana University for his bachelor’s degree and graduatedrom the Kelly School of Business at Indiana University in 2019 with a Master of Business Administration focused on marketing and data analytics.

Previous to ISDA Smith spent his professional career with Corteva Agriscience in crop protection management.

ISDA Director Don Lamb is excited to welcome Smith to the team.

“Farming is a financial business with a lot of risks. The goal of IGBWLA is to help mitigate some of those risks and ensure financial security and stability,” said Lamb. “We are looking forward to Clark’s expertise and knowledge in leading this very important division, for our department and our state.”

As director of the agency, Smith will be responsible for managing staff and overseeing the agency’s statutory obligations, which include approving new license applications and the auditing of Indiana’s commercial grain operations.

He also will serve as chairman of the Indiana Grain Indemnity Corporation board of directors and work with local, state and federal agencies and the private sector to better understand the needs of Indiana’s grain purchasers.

“Agriculture has been a huge part of my personal and professional life, and I am excited to begin the journey of public service and give back to this dynamic industry,” Smith said. “The Indiana Grain Buyers and Warehouse Licensing Agency has dedicated staff who keep the industry top of mind. I look forward to learning from them and working side by side with the ISDA team and stakeholders in all parts of Indiana, both Indianapolis and all the cities and towns that make Indiana great.”

Smith is a Greenfield-Central Community School Corp. board member and Riley Festival board of directors member. He also is a 10-year 4-H member from Jackson County and a former Jackson County Cattlemen’s President.

Outside of work, Clark and his wife Debra spend most of their time raising their two young daughters and managing the family Angus herd.

Visit isda.in.gov for information about the Indiana Grain Buyers and Warehouse Licensing Agency.