Distinguished Alumni

Hugh Beckham, Jr. (Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Engineering Technology and Business 1988) is a key account manager for HGS BioScience, which provides organic soil health products to agricultural retailers and farmers. His 34-year agribusiness career includes sales and management positions at Monsanto; DuPont Pioneer; Horizon Ag, LLC; and Bayer Crop Science. His team won the Master Sales Award at Monsanto three times.

Beckham developed a passion for agriculture growing up on his family farm in Swiftown, Mississippi. At MSU, he gained the academic and people skills to help him excel in several leadership roles. He earned an executive MBA at the University of Memphis in 2000 and is a member of the Mississippi Agricultural Industry Association, the Mississippi Seedsmen's Association, the Southern Seedsmen's Association, and the Memphis Agricultural Club, having previously served as past president for each organization.

He serves on the Desoto County Chapter of the MSU Alumni Association Board of Directors and is a past president of the Memphis Chapter of the MSU Alumni Association. He was awarded the 1996 J.E. "Red" Ruffin award as Outstanding Chapter President from the MSU Alumni Association.

Beckham and his wife, Elizabeth, reside in Nesbit, Mississippi and have three daughters, all MSU bulldogs.