W.J. “Bill” Cook has been involved in agriculture for more than 60 years. Cook is a life-long family farmer and rural entrepreneur. He founded NeCo Seed Farms, Inc. in the 70s which he and his wife, Emily, ran for more than 30 years before passing it onto the next generation. From 2010-2014, he worked in South America, Asia, and Africa to grow new soybean traits and genetics in winter nurseries. Earlier in his career, Cook owned and operated a feed and chemical retail store; owned an implement dealership; managed an irrigation, bin and equipment company; and led a corn and soybean marketing company. He’s been involved with bank boards and the Production Credit Association. Throughout his career, he’s been affiliated with many professional organizations, including Missouri Crop Improvement, Missouri Foundation Seeds, and International Business Club. In 2019, Bill started working with hemp. For years, he’s been researching with Lincoln University. Now he is working closely with USDA to develop an independent hemp research license, which is different from any research we know about today. It’s geared towards creating SOPs and ROIs for hemp growers, so that hemp makes financial and logistical sense for farmers to grow. He believes that the hemp plant is a miracle crop for our future.