Robert Craven
CFFM Director
Extension Economist
Phone: 612-625-6701
Fax: 612-625-3105
eMail: rcraven@umn.edu
Publications by Robert Craven
Robert Craven is an Extension Economist and Director of the Center for Farm Financial Management, Department of Applied Economics, University of Minnesota. He has been Director since 1997 and has held a position in the Center for 23 years. Areas of specialty include business management for farmers and credit analysis for agricultural lenders with emphasis on financial planning and analysis. His work for the Center has focused on development of FINPACK, nationally recognized software for whole farm financial planning and analysis. In the past several years he has worked to develop the crop marketing programs at the Center. One of the successful programs in this area is the "Winning the Game" series of workshops. He also played a key role in the development of the National Risk Management Education Library, a nationally funded web site for risk management educational materials.
He has been an invited speaker at numerous conferences and seminars. He has also taught over 150 workshops on farm financial management and receives high marks for his teaching. Awards received include the USDA Group Award for Superior Service and the American Agricultural Economics Association Group Award for Distinguished Extension Programs.
Mr. Craven is also actively involved in a 1600 acre family farming operation in southwestern Minnesota, where he has been the primary manager for the past fifteen years. He has a B.S. degree in Animal Science and an M.S. degree in Agricultural Economics from the University of Minnesota.
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Dale Nordquist
CFFM Associate Director
Extension Economist
Phone: 612-625-6760
Fax: 612-625-3105
eMail: dnord@umn.edu
Publications by Dale Nordquist
Dale Nordquist is an Extension Economist and Associate Director of the Center for Farm Financial Management in the Department of Applied Economics at the University of Minnesota.
Dale's special interests include farm business analysis, farm planning, and software development. He has over 28 years of experience in teaching farm management and developing software tools for farm financial planning and analysis. Dale has also been a major contributor to the design and development of the FINPACK farm financial planning and analysis software as well as many other software tools developed and distributed through the Center For Farm Financial Management.
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Eliza Herman
Program Associate
Phone: 612-624-8790
Fax: 612-625-3105
eMail: eliza@umn.edu
Eliza is a Program Associate for the Center for Farm Financial Management. She assists in the selling and distribution of the Center's software and helps coordinate many of the grain marketing workshops and other training sessions provided by the Center.
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Kevin Klair
Extension Economist
Phone: 612-625-6237
Fax: 612-625-3105
eMail: kklair@umn.edu
Publications by Kevin Klair
Kevin Klair has been an Extension Economist at the Center for Farm Financial Management in the Department of Applied Economics at the University of Minnesota since 1987. He has more than 20 years of experience in teaching farm business management and developing farm financial management software programs.
Kevin helped develop the FINPACK farm financial planning and analysis software, as well as Marketeer market planning software and the FINPACK Business Plan software programs. Kevin was involved in the development of the online National Ag Risk Education Library and serves as a national coordinator for Extension Risk Management Education.
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Rann Loppnow
Software Developer
Phone: 612-625-7040
Fax: 612-625-3105
eMail: rann@umn.edu
Publications by Rann Loppnow
Rann Loppnow has been a software developer for the Center for Farm Financial Management since 1990. His development work includes all areas of software life cycles, from initial design through the shipping of the final product. His major area of focus has been FINPACK and its satellite programs which include RankEm and FINBIN (the farm financial database reporting system).
Rann received a Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science from the University of Minnesota. He owns and operates a crop and livestock farm in southeast Minnesota.
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Curtis Mahnken
Extension Economist
Phone: 612-624-7585
Fax: 612-625-3105
eMail: cmahnken@umn.edu
Publications by Curtis Mahnken
Curtis Mahnken joined the Center for Farm Financial Management in 2010 as an Extension Economist. Prior to arriving at the center, he spent four years with the University of Kentucky as an Area Extension Specialist in Farm Business Management. While at UK, he authored the 2008 Dairy Enterprise Analysis for KFBM as well as participated as a judge for the Southern Dairy Challenge.
Curtis received an M.S. in Agricultural Economics from Michigan State University. He grew up on a 100 cow dairy farm in southern Illinois and has been described as having milk running through his veins.
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Chris Mikesell
Software Developer
Phone: 612-625-8765
Fax: 612-625-3105
eMail: mikes002@umn.edu
Publications by Chris Mikesell
Chris Mikesell has been a software developer for the Center for Farm Financial Management since 1998.
His major focus has been developing and maintaining the Center's many web applications including FINBIN, the Ag Risk Library and the grant management system.
Chris received both Bachelor's and Master's Degrees in Agricultural Economics from Kansas State University. He grew up on grain farm in northcentral Kansas.
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Dave Nordquist
Chief Technical Support
Phone: 612-625-9222
Fax: 612-625-3105
eMail: nordq007@umn.edu
Publications by Dave Nordquist
Dave Nordquist provides user and technical support for the Center's software.
He has been with the Center for nearly 14 years. Prior to joining the Center, he operated a dairy farm in east central Minnesota. Dave and his brother still run a small corn/soybean operation on the home farm "just to get a little dirt under our fingernails."
If Dave were to list what he considers his major accomplishment, it is being a part of the friendly and
cooperative relationship between the Center and its many software users.
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Jeff Reisdorfer
Web Communications Coordinator
Phone: 612-624-4788
Fax: 612-625-3105
eMail: jreisdor@umn.edu
Publications by Jeff Reisdorfer
Blog: AgMedia101.com
Twitter: @AgMedia101
YouTube: YouTube.com/AgMedia101
Klout: Klout.com/AgMedia101
Jeff's focus is management of the CFFM's websites, social media and brand identity. He annually speaks at conferences and private meetings on topics related to Social Media, User Experience, Design Standards and Emerging Technologies.
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Russ Rhode
Software Developer
Phone: 612-625-4219
Fax: 612-625-3105
eMail: rrhode@umn.edu
Publications by Russ Rhode
With over 25 years of experience in software development involving many types of applications, Russ Rhode joined the Center for Farm Financial Management on the last day of May in 2005. Continuing his legacy as a Software Developer, Russ plays an integral role in the continued success of the Center's software applications.
Russ was born and raised in Clara City, Minnesota and went on to graduate from Hamline University many years ago.
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Wynn Richardson
Extension Economist
Software Developer
Phone: 612-625-5283
Fax: 612-625-3105
eMail: wynn@umn.edu
Publications by Wynn Richardson
Wynn Richardson has been with the Center for Farm Financial Management since 1990. He works as an Extension Economist and a Software Developer.
Wynn received a B.S. in Agricultural Economics and Computer Science from Oklahoma State University. He has also received a M.S. in Agricultural and Applied Economics from the University of Minnesota.
Wynn's family is the proud owner/operator of a century farm in Oklahoma.
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Jane Sandstrom
Executive Administrator
Phone: 612-625-3112
Fax: 612-625-3105
eMail: jsandstr@umn.edu
Jane Sandstrom has been with the Center since its creation, over 20 years ago.
Her primary focus is in the the area of financial accounting and business operations associated with the Center's programs. She is involved with editing and some writing of promotional and grant materials.
Jane enjoys the camaraderie and working atmosphere of the Center.
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Ed Usset
Grain Marketing Specialist
Phone: 612-625-7014
Fax: 612-625-3105
eMail: usset001@umn.edu
Publications by Ed Usset
Column at Corn & Soybean Digest
Back to School quizzes at Corn & Soybean Digest
Blog: EdsWorld.wordpress.com
Edward Usset serves as a Grain Marketing Specialist for the Center for Farm Financial Management at the University of Minnesota.
Working with his colleagues at CFFM and in extension, Ed developed the award winning "Winning the Game" series of workshops. He also helped develop "Tool Time," a series of workshops dedicated to understanding and using grain pricing tools. He teaches "Futures and Options Markets" at the University.
His first book, "Grain Marketing is Simple (it's just not easy)" was released in September, 2007.
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