The Nowlin Chair was established in 1984 in honor of Homer Nowlin, a Lapeer County farmer who bequeathed his estate to Michigan State University in 1979. It serves as a catalyst for improved linkages between on- and off- campus clientele to solve economic, ecological and social problems related to agriculture and the natural resources systems. The Homer Nowlin Endowment Fund currently underwrites the Homer Nowlin Chair of Water in Agricultural and Natural Resources Systems as well as the Homer Nowlin Chair of Consumer-Responsive Agriculture. The Nowlin Chair of Consumer-Responsive Agriculture, housed in the Department of Agricultural Economics, helps Michigan agriculture and natural resources look beyond tradition to more integrated production and marketing strategies that offer an increase in value to consumers and increased sustainable profit margins for producers.

Dr. Chris Peterson, a professor in the Department of Agricultural Economics, is the first Homer Nowlin Chair of Consumer-Responsive Agriculture. He has a strong background in the areas of strategic management, agri-food supply chain relationships, product-oriented agricultural marketing, and cooperative strategic and financial management. He has been a faculty member in the MSU Department of Agricultural Economics since 1991 and has taught a wide range of courses in strategic agribusiness management and food industry management and marketing. His research focuses on agribusiness competitiveness, including value-added strategies, strategic management, management style and practice, and market assessment. He provides technical and consulting assistance to numerous agribusiness firms, commodity associations and producer groups, and is a frequent speaker on strategic management, value-added marketing and trends shaping the future structure of the agri-food system. Dr. Peterson was a recipient of the MSU Teacher-Scholar Award in 1998 and the 1992 Edwin Nourse Doctoral Dissertation Award from the National Council of Farmer Cooperatives. He is also a member of the American Agricultural Economics Association, the Food Distribution Research Society and is a board member of the International Food and Agribusiness Management Association. He works closely with the Michigan Partnership for Product Agriculture and the National Council of Farmer Cooperatives. He has served on the board of CoBank (1999-2001) and on the board of the former St. Paul Bank for Cooperatives (1994-1999), both part of Farm Credit System. He received his undergraduate degree in political science from Juniata College, an M.B.A. from Harvard Graduate School of Business Administration, and his Ph.D. in Agricultural Economics from Cornell University.

Dr. Peterson's mission as the Homer Nowlin Chair of Consumer-Responsive Agriculture is to provide leadership in disciplinary and multidisciplinary efforts focused on the business strategy, development, and marketing of differentiated, consumer-oriented products based on agricultural goods. As opposed to the traditional view of agricultural outputs being commodities sold in driven, undifferentiated markets, consumer-responsive agriculture arises from the concept of agricultural crops and livestock as being central to the creation of differentiated, high-value products. Dr. Peterson focuses broadly on issues related to product development from an agricultural base, supply chain relationships, consumer trends, global marketing, entrepreneurship, and strategic management of agri-food firms while providing both long-term vision and strategic assistance to Michigan's agri-food firms in the context of global, consumer-driven markets.

Further, his mission includes:

• Conducting research on the evolution and future of markets, supply chains, and firm strategies for product agriculture;
• Providing leadership for graduate and undergraduate educational programs as well as executive educational programs directed at food and agricultural industries with such programs being coordinated with the new Henry Center for Executive Development;
• Catalyzing and facilitating collaborative relationships and ventures with colleagues across the College and University;
• Supplying intellectual guidance to and collaborating with various external audiences such as agricultural producers, agricultural and natural resource industries, agricultural and natural resource organizations, state and federal governments, consumers, firms, national, regional, and international organizations; and
• Serving as a key resource for studying and promoting the commercialization of product ideas that arise from the University's investments in biological and food technologies.