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Bruce Kettler is the Director of the Indiana State Department of Agriculture, appointed by Governor Eric Holcomb on January 8, 2018. Bruce was appointed to Governor Holcomb’s cabinet in December of 2019. He also serves as the Director of Agribusiness Development for the Indiana Economic Development Corporation and reports directly to Lt. Governor Suzanne Crouch, who serves as Indiana’s Secretary of Agriculture and Rural Development.
Prior to joining ISDA, Bruce worked as the Director of Public Relations for Beck's Hybrids, and brings to the department over 30 years of agricultural leadership experience and knowledge that spans from production agriculture and sales, to community and industry relations.
Bruce grew up in western Ohio and developed a passion and appreciation for agriculture at an early age. He was a member of 4-H and FFA, worked on a dairy farm and served as the Ohio FFA President, as well as Vice President for National FFA. After his FFA service, Bruce attended The Ohio State University and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Agronomy with emphasis in Agricultural Business.
He began his professional career in 1987 at Dow AgroSciences where he spent 17 years working in a variety of roles including sales and marketing, finance management, advertising and public relations. In 2006, Bruce joined Beck’s Hybrids as a Sales Consultant. During his 11 year tenure there, Bruce also worked as an Area Team Leader, Field Sales Manager and Director of Public Relations.
Along with having a diverse background in agriculture, Bruce also has vast leadership experience and is an active member of the community. He is a 2012 graduate of the Indiana Agricultural Leadership Program where he experienced many facets of Indiana agriculture from policy formation to rural development to a two week study of international agriculture in India. He also serves on the Ohio State University President's Alumni Advisory Council and on the Purdue College of Agriculture Dean’s Advisory Council. Furthermore, he is a member of the AgriNovus Indiana board of directors. Recently, Bruce was appointed to serve on the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture Board of Directors and chairs the NASDA Plant Agriculture and Pesticide Regulation Committee.
Economic development is a crucial part of ISDA’s mission. To encourage economic development, Bruce has participated in six trade missions to a variety of countries, including, Israel, Colombia, Canada, Taiwan, Mexico and the United Kingdom.
Bruce is married to his wife of 31 years, Tammy, who owns her own consulting firm and floriculture business. His son Cory is a member of the Beck's Hybrids production team, and his daughter Christy is a junior high science teacher. Additionally, Bruce and Tammy have three grandchildren.
Bruce’s main priorities are leading ISDA’s 5 divisions, which include, agricultural advocacy, economic development, youth development and environmental stewardship.
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