About our author

Tom Field, PhD, serves the people of Nebraska as the director of the Engler Agribusiness Entrepreneurship Program and holder of the Engler Chair in Entrepreneurship at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln. An enthusiastic advocate for free enterprise, the potential of young people and opportunities in both agriculture and rural communities, Tom is an internationally recognized educator and innovator who has the ability to connect the dots between people, industries and ideas. He is also the author of the acclaimed text Beef Production and Management Systems, now in its 6th edition.

A 5th-generation cattleman who is partnership in a family cow-calf business in western Colorado, he also authors the column Out of the Box, consults and advises a number of enterprises and organizations, and is a sought-after speaker who challenges and inspires audiences to lead their organizations to excellence by asking the right questions, seeking solutions beyond conventional wisdom, and unleashing the power of focused creativity. He and his wife, Laura, and their family live near Raymond, NE. Tom is a native Coloradoan and earned his bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees from Colorado State University.