Environmental Protection Agency Region 7 Administrator Jim Macy visited the University of Central Missouri on April 9 to meet with students studying agricultural science. Macy was appointed by President Donald Trump in 2025 to oversee all environmental policy in Missouri, Iowa, Nebraska and Kansas.
“I really enjoyed my time here at UCM,” said Macy. “I enjoyed the hospitality of the Ag leadership team here and was very impressed with the engagement of the students on campus. I have very high expectations of where they’ll go and what they’ll do in life.”
Macy was accompanied by two other EPA Region 7 employees from his office, Chief of Staff Julie Linck and Agriculture Advisor Doug Jones. They spoke to 27 students in the Agricultural Issues and Literacy Class from 11 a.m. to 12:00 p.m in Grinstead 218. Afterwards, they attended a luncheon in the Elliott Student Union 235 with UCM six agriculture students and two faculty.
“He was very interested in what year we are, our majors, giving us better decision-making tools for the future. He was very personable,” said Zachary Carpenter, a sophomore agronomy major.
During the class presentation and luncheon, Macy discussed current issues in agriculture, the role of the EPA and how the EPA and field of agriculture work together.
“I hope they [students] saw the ways in which EPA can work with agriculture, support agriculture,” said Brad Driskill, Visiting Assistant Professor of Agriculture. “Environmental protection and agriculture tend to sometimes butt heads sometimes. But the fact is, the number one job for agriculture is environmental protection. We don’t have a job if we don’t protect the land and all of our natural resources that we use to produce.”
Along with learning about the EPA, Carpenter and Driskill appreciated the opportunity to meet with a high-ranking government official.
“I think for them to get to actually visit with somebody at that level with that decision-making authority was a huge networking opportunity for them. Some of his staff were here as well, which gave them an opportunity to visit with those folks who are career federal employees,” said Driskill.
According to Macy, one reason he visited UCM was because of his relationship with UCM Executive Director for Governmental Relations David Pearce, with whom he went to college. However, Macy also visited in order to hear what topics are on the minds of America’s future leaders in agriculture.
“I just feel it’s important to listen to the voice of America’s youth and those folks getting ready to go into the workplace, to be interested in current issues that you are interested in. Part of my role and responsibility as regional administrator for the Trump-Vance administration and administrator Lee Zeldin is to listen and bring back that voice to them so that they can make good decisions,” said Macy.
