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Faculty and Staff

Meet Michael Best, New Director of The Executive Farm Management Program

Michael Best

As current Director Blake Brown prepares to retire at the end of this year, Michael Best will take on the role of director of The Executive Farm Management Program. Best joined NC State in January 2022 as an assistant teaching professor. He gladly accepted the opportunity to also lead one of our most impactful programs.

Best was born and raised in Berea, Kentucky and grew up on a small truck cropping farm growing vegetables, tobacco and cattle. He holds a bachelor’s in agribusiness from Berea College, a master’s in agricultural economics from the University of Tennessee and a doctorate in agricultural economics from the University of Kentucky.

While most of his 27 years of experience are in teaching, he has also worked with extension as a state extension specialist at the University of Georgia. Over the years, Best has taught numerous courses in agriculture and food and has written over 100 feasibility studies and business plans for farmers and agribusinesses in the southeast.

“I am truly excited to be joining The Executive Farm Management team as its new director,” he said. “I came to NC State expecting to teach full time in the undergraduate agribusiness management program, but now this will allow me to make an even bigger impact on agriculture across the region with the EFM team. The program fits perfectly with the interests I have of working with farmers in the southeast and helping them with business planning and performing feasibility studies on new enterprises that complement their farming operations.”

Welcome to the team, Michael!

Are you interested in learning more about the Executive Farm Management Program? Visit our program page or fill out an interest form and someone on our team will contact you.