Alumni Spotlight

Name: Troy Anderson

Current Title: Vice President of Operations

Organization: Ardent Mills

Major: B.S. Milling Science and Management, 1992

 

K-State College of Ag is proud to recognize alumni from all departments who continue to pursue their passion in their respective fields. It is through experience that we continue to grow as individuals and stewards of the industry. Through those experiences, we hope to be a continued resource for the next generation of K-State students to lean on for advice and continue to build our network!

What led you to your degree in Milling Science and Management?

I grew up dairy farming in rural McPherson County near McPherson, Kansas. I initially thought I wanted to get away from that. So I came to K-State in engineering and started my first year and a half in mechanical engineering. I soon found out I just didn't have a passion for it.

I was in a fraternity with some other gentlemen who were in the Grain Science and Industry Department. They convinced me to come over and, at the time, talk to Dr. Dale Eustis, who was legendary from a grain science perspective. I was hooked right away! It reconnected me with my ag background and those mechanical engineering factors that I still enjoyed and wanted to do from a career lens. But, most importantly, it connected me back to my roots, where I grew up, and my family background in farming. I got my degree in milling science in 1992, but I would say about half of us who have done that started somewhere else on campus, while the other half knew about it before they arrived at K-State. For those of us who go through the program, whether it's milling science, bakery science and pet food we pretty well declare the industries we were going into at least to start our careers. Upon graduation, I started with Cargill Flour Milling, which later turned into Horizon Milling. I am now with Ardent Mills through different integrations and acquisitions, thoroughly enjoying every minute.

What excites you the most about the Agriculture Innovation Initiative?

We're finally getting started. We've been talking for close to 10 years now. At my first Dean’s Advisory Council meeting, we discussed infrastructure. We had to do something different with facilities like Shellenberger Hall, Waters Hall and Weber Hall from a core safety perspective. We've been talking about it for so long; it was extremely exciting when President Linton came and made it a priority to work with the College of Agriculture and the state of Kansas and to really work with folks like me as an alumnus to get this initiative moving forward.

I often speak to young students who didn’t grow up in rural America, whether that's in Kansas or somewhere else. If you don't grow up in rural America, it's really hard to make a connection with agriculture. You think about sitting on tractors or feeding cattle when it comes to the agricultural industry, but that’s just the start. The reality is there are so many progressive opportunities within agriculture across the board. Whether it's in our milling industry space, agricultural economics, banking or developing new solutions for generations to come from a food or animal perspective. There are so many rewarding careers that can come out of agriculture as a degree program.

On K-State’s campus, we've already got a nice shiny new business building, architectural building and engineering building that we’re very proud of. That is what specifically attracts prospective and current students who don't come from an agricultural background. We need that in the College of Agriculture here at K-State University. Not only to continue to attract prospective students but to show that we can have the most thought-provoking student body and faculty that we can to continue to keep K-State an institution.

It's already created a significant buzz and stir. So, as I make my rounds across our plants and interact with our customers, there's a conversation that wasn't there before surrounding what K-State is doing for the future. The Grain Science and Industry Department is this unique cog in the wheel that positions K-State to do something that no other university can, starting with genetics and agronomy through the manufacturing side. To hear the buzz across the food space of what's going on around campus and then to eventually see the new facilities, new labs and all of the new research that's going to come out of those new spaces. The other part that excites me a lot is the wide variety of different backgrounds and perspectives that's going to be attracted because of the new facilities and the top-ranked faculty that will be part of it.

What is your challenge to others in the agriculture sector and food sector to support the initiative?

Kansas State University is uniquely positioned to deliver what I'll call a “farm-to-table” solution from wheat genetics to agronomy. What makes K-State unique is grain science, food science, animal science and all those departments coming together to bring tremendous solutions to our business, social and global challenges. We all need to be cognizant of such challenges and support K-State as part of those solutions. To me, the Agriculture Innovation Initiative is fundamental. It's not a matter of asking ourselves, “Does it need to happen?” or “Should it happen?” It has to happen for K-State to continue being a player, driving solutions across the food supply chain globally. The Agriculture Innovation Initiative has to be successful. There's just too much at stake not to get it done.

What are two pieces of advice you would have for professionals just starting out in the milling industry?

I keep it real easy when I'm talking to our new campus hires. There are fundamental basics: show up on time, get along with others and find a passion for the work that you do. Those sound really simple and easy but these are the key areas we see individuals that are entering their career shine and differentiate themselves in the workplace. Specifically, I'll emphasize getting along with people. There was an old school of management in 1992 when I started that wasn't necessarily about the people. It was more about getting the work done. These days, it is predominantly shifted.

We have to get the work done; we have to drive results. But if we can't get along with each other and mutually create success for ourselves, our team, our customers and the communities we serve, it's hard to be successful, especially in Ardent Mills with our value-based culture.