Rate My Professor Kevin Kimle

Kevin Kimle serves as the Rastetter Chair of Agricultural Entrepreneurship, Director of the Start Something College of Agriculture and Life Sciences program, and Teaching Professor in the Department of Economics at Iowa State University of Science and Technology, a position he has held since July 2009. He earned an M.S. in Agricultural Economics from Iowa State University in 1991, with a thesis titled “Developing a Cash Settlement Price Index for Live Hog Futures,” and a B.S. in Agricultural Economics from the University of Nebraska in 1989. Prior to his academic appointment, Kimle co-founded Ag Startup Engine, LLC in 2016, served as President and Founder of Decision Commodities, LLC from 2002 to 2009, President and Co-Founder of E-Markets, Inc. from 1996 to 2001, Consultant at Context Network in 1996, and Business Analyst at Pioneer Hi-Bred International from 1992 to 1996. His professional background includes work in start-up companies, the seed industry, venture capital, commodity risk management, and agricultural and trade policy.

Kimle’s research specializations and academic interests focus on entrepreneurship and innovation, particularly in agriculture. He develops and delivers entrepreneurship curriculum and programs in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, conducts outreach to aspiring entrepreneurs and agribusiness executives, and leads public-private partnerships across Europe, South America, China, and Africa. His incubation initiatives provide resources for new ventures and have inspired programs at other universities and internationally. Students in his programs produce more than 100 business plans each year, leading to agtech companies such as SmartAg, Performance Livestock Analytics, Gross-Wen Technologies, Nebullam, Tractor Zoom, Continuum Ag, and Farmers Risk. Major awards include the Pioneering College Entrepreneurship Award from Iowa State University IGNITE in 2022, Ted Bair Pappajohn Center for Entrepreneurship Mentor Award in 2020, Iowa State University Award for Achievement in Economic Development in Iowa in 2016, and Innovative Entrepreneurship Education Competition Winner in 2010. Key publications encompass journal articles such as “A Dynamic Minimum Variance Hedge” (1993, American Journal of Agricultural Economics), “Does the Jack of All Trades Hold the Winning Hand?: Comparing the role of specialized versus general skills in the returns to an agricultural degree” (2014, American Journal of Agricultural Economics), books The Entrepreneur’s Ethic (expected 2025) and The Only Free Road (2020, with Patricia Kimle), numerous case studies, and USPTO Patent #20050004809 (issued 2007).