Neal Fisher, North Dakota Wheat Commission administrator, will receive the 2012 Agribusiness Award during the 39th annual Harvest Bowl program at North Dakota State University.

This award recognizes individuals who have distinguished themselves in the field of agriculture and business in North Dakota and beyond.

Harvest Bowl activities will take place on Oct. 26-27 in Fargo.

Also honored will be outstanding agriculturists from all counties across North Dakota and several in western Minnesota, and scholarships will be awarded to outstanding male and female NDSU athletes.

As administrator of the North Dakota Wheat Commission, Fisher is responsible for implementing producer-funded programs intended to increase the total use of North Dakota wheat. Fisher works directly in the areas of export market development, research, transportation, trade policy and other issues to improve the global competitiveness of North Dakota producers who raise hard red spring, durum and other wheat classes.

His work for the Wheat Commission is a worldwide effort through U.S. Wheat Associates and the cooperator programs of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agriculture Service.

Fisher’s presentations on spring wheat and durum include supply-and-demand analysis, and highlight the economic and quality advantages of using hard red spring wheat, durum and other wheat in foreign and domestic customer applications.

Fisher coordinates the North Dakota Wheat Commission’s policy positions and actions on issues affecting wheat producers, and serves on numerous committees and boards involved in trade policy development and wheat research.

He is a member of the Joint Trade Policy Committee of the National Association of Wheat Growers and U.S. Wheat Associates, Agricultural Trade Advisory Committee of the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative and USDA in Washington, D.C., serving at the pleasure of the president and U.S. secretary of agriculture.

Fisher chairs the Upper Great Plains Transportation Institute’s Advisory Council and is a member of the NDSU Research Foundation board of directors. He previously served on the State Board of Agricultural Research and Education, assisting with the prioritizing, budgeting and policymaking associated with the research projects and initiatives of the North Dakota Agricultural Experiment Station and NDSU Extension Service.

Fisher joined the commission in 1978 as a marketing specialist, became deputy administrator in 1983 and was appointed administrator in 1998. He earned his bachelor’s and master's degrees in agricultural economics at NDSU.

While Fisher’s professional focus is wheat, his true passion is his family, the state and its people. He notes that he is forever grateful for the life lessons and opportunities he has had growing up in North Dakota and continues his interest in the family farming and ranching enterprise near Tappen, where his son, Josh, is the principal owner/operator. Fisher and his wife, Deborah, have three grown children and two grandchildren.

The 39th annual Harvest Bowl festivities begin Friday, Oct. 26, at the Fargo Ramada Plaza Suites with a dinner and awards ceremony. On Saturday, honorees will participate in educational sessions on the NDSU campus and attend the Harvest Bowl football game.

For tickets and information on Harvest Bowl activities, visit the NDSU Alumni Association website at http://www.ndsualumni.com/, call the NDSU alumni office toll-free at (800) 279-8971 or locally at (701) 231-6800, or e-mail marilyn@ndsualumni.com.

NDSU Agriculture Communication – Sept. 17, 2012