Background

Jerry Fankhauser is the Assistant Director of the Florida Agricultural Experiment Station (FAES), the research arm of UF/IFAS. He provides administrative support for the UF/IFAS Research enterprise including facilitating programmatic impact for the FAES’ statewide agricultural land resources, research activities, and investment. Representing FAES, Jerry engages with statewide commodity organizations, state agencies, and other stakeholders across Florida.

Jerry holds a B.S. and M.S. in crop and soil science and crop physiology, respectively, from Purdue University.  After managing an off-campus research farm for Purdue University, Jerry spent two years in industry in a technical services role for a major crop protection products company. He returned to Purdue University to lead an effort to relocate vegetable and specialty crop field research to a new location near campus. He then assumed the dual role of Director of Purdue’s eight off-campus research farms and the Assistant Director of the Indiana Agricultural Experiment Station. His career administrative portfolio at Purdue also included oversight of state-mandated commodity check-off programs and participation in the Indiana Agricultural Leadership Program.