CALS Influence Stories

Vijay Radhakrishnan

Making a Difference in Meat Science

Vijay Radhakrishnan’s curiosity got the best of him and ended up transforming his career.

Radhakrishnan’s journey to Mississippi State was influenced by his wife, who was pursuing her master’s in chemical engineering at MSU. Radhakrishnan was working in India for a carbonation manufacturing facility that supplied carbon dioxide for major beverage companies. He became intrigued by the food science sector when he began working closely with food scientists at one of the beverage companies.

“I have a bachelor’s in chemical engineering. This was the first time I had met food scientists and stepped into the food industry,” he recalled.

Realizing his passion for food science, Radhakrishnan applied to MSU, where he was welcomed into the food science program under the guidance of Dr. Wes Schilling.

Radhakrishnan said his academic journey at MSU not only provided him with foundational knowledge but also fostered a curiosity that drove him to excel. “Dr. Schilling influenced me more than anyone in my career,” he said.

Radhakrishnan earned his master’s and doctoral degrees in food science and technology in 2007 and 2013, respectively. Post graduation, his career flourished as he applied his combined knowledge of chemical engineering and food science to various roles within the food industry. His early experiences included an internship at Campbell’s Soups, arranged by Schilling, which provided him with his first taste of the U.S. food processing industry. This experience led to further opportunities where he could refine his skills and contribute to innovations in food production.

He served as a sensory and shelf-life scientist at Johnsonville for five years and senior technologist at the J.M. Smucker Co. for another five years before joining Nestle in 2021.

Today, Radhakrishnan is the corporate ingredient advisor for the meat spend category globally. Nestle owns several frozen food brands that line the shelves of your local grocery store including Lean Cuisine, Hot Pockets, and Digiorno.

His work involves not only ensuring the quality and sustainability of food products but also developing new products to meet the changing dietary preferences while also addressing environmental impacts associated with food production.

“With changing preferences in food habits, how can we address the needs of multiple generations of consumers? Also, as a company, we are striving toward a net zero carbon footprint. What ways can we innovate our meat products to reach those goals?” he said.

Radhakrishnan encourages students entering the food science profession to speak up and gain industry knowledge.

“Never shy away from asking questions. Be inquisitive and curious,” he said. “And seek internships. Understand how the food industry functions and what’s important. A book can teach you to a certain extent but having some industrial knowledge along with that book knowledge will help you better achieve success,” he said.

Stephen Johnson

Fairwar to Success

Stephen Johnson doesn’t let the grass grow under his feet for long.

With almost a decade as director of golf maintenance at Big Cedar Lodge in Branson, Missouri, the Tupelo native takes a meticulous approach to keeping the resort’s courses, designed by the likes of Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus, above par.

Johnson, a self-described “lifelong Bulldog,” was first introduced to MSU in high school, when he took a job at a university agricultural experiment station (known today as the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station) near his home. Initially, he thought he would study row crops like corn and soybeans, but after taking an agriculture survey class, a presenter sparked his interest in turfgrass management.

“I was fortunate to go through the program during the golf boom of the 1980s, when courses were being built in new housing developments and more people were entering the sport,” he said.

After graduating in 1986, Johnson took his first professional job at the Columbus Country Club. A year later, he found work closer to home at the Tupelo Country Club, then moved on to his first superintendent job at Burningtree Country Club in Decatur, Alabama.

“I was charged with re-grassing the greens and installing an irrigation system, so that job laid the foundation for my knowledge about the construction aspects of the business,” he said.

In his current job at Big Cedar Lodge, he was initially tasked with taking over maintenance of the resort’s original Mountain Top course and constructing the 19-hole Payne’s Valley course—a tribute to Springfield native Payne Stewart. The course, designed by resort owner and Bass Pro Shops CEO Johnny Morris, the Stewart family, and Tiger Woods’ design firm TGR Design, opened in 2021. It earned the title “Best New Public Golf Course” from Golf Digest. He was also heavily involved in the construction, grow-in, and opening of Cliffhangers, an 18-hole course that opened on the resort property this summer.

Johnson has seen the business evolve over the last four decades, one of the largest changes being a shift from memberships at private clubs to daily-fee customers at public courses and resorts. The pandemic brought a resurgence in participation, as golf allowed people to socialize outdoors and practice distancing. He says that trend remains strong today.

One of the industry’s greatest challenges these days is labor, and Big Cedar is no exception.

“We’ve seen a decline in the labor force for these jobs, which involve physical labor outdoors,” he said. “Most of our employees are seasonal workers on H-2B visas, and every year there are new faces arriving with the returning team. Every spring, the new staff needs training on the equipment and golf etiquette, and this year, our workforce didn’t arrive until June, when we were well into the season.”

Despite these challenges, Johnson and the entire team at Big Cedar follow through on their maintenance plan, with a focus on environmental sustainability—a commitment driven by Morris’s vision. All six golf courses are certified by the Audubon Society, which sets parameters for irrigation, pesticides, and other practices, which are rigorously documented.

“We’re unique not only in the certification but also in that the proceeds from our golf courses get reinvested right back into conservation. That is very rare,” he said.

Johnson encourages current turfgrass management students and recent graduates to not allow geography to limit their career opportunities.

“Take every opportunity to expand your horizons and build your network,” he said. “I started out close to home, but as I learned more about the industry, I realized the opportunities for growth and advancement were elsewhere.”

He also encourages students to take pride in their work, hold themselves accountable, and communicate clearly.

“Communication isn’t just talking. It’s listening to others and learning how to solve problems,” he said. “I took a communications course at MSU, and I learned valuable skills I still use today.”

Just as a golfer needs a variety of clubs in their bag for success on the green, an accomplished manager needs the tools that a solid education and work experience provide. Johnson has clearly made the most of both.

Kelsey Barnes

Local Roots, Global Perspectives

Kelsey Barnes learned early on that policy begins with people.

Long before making her way to Capitol Hill, life for the northwestern Tennessee native revolved around the row crop and cattle production activity on her family’s farm. From an early age, she helped her father with tasks around the farm, and in high school, she interned and worked for local agricultural businesses.

Barnes joined the military in high school, and her basic training commitment delayed her start at Mississippi State by a semester. When she began classes in the spring, she was undeclared but was reluctant to choose agriculture because she wanted to find her own path.

“When you’re self-pollinating corn and driving tractors in high school, you realize how hard the work is, and I didn’t see myself in that kind of career,” she said “But my advisor knew about my background in agriculture and encouraged me to take just one class. She told me if I didn’t like it, I could move on, but she hated to see me write it off for good.”

An introductory agriculture class opened Barnes’s eyes to the history of agriculture in the U.S. and how much the country’s economic success is owed to that industry. As she continued her studies, she discovered her passion for global food security.

“My agricultural science professors brought a practical and pragmatic approach to teaching,” she said. “They taught me how government policies affect farmers and how to look for solutions to the real-world challenges farmers are facing, and they helped me realize I wanted to be a part of that.”

After graduating in 2015, Barnes received a fellowship from AgriCorps to spend a year living in a remote village in Ghana. Her work included serving as an extension agent to community farmers as well as teaching agriculture and advising the 4-H club at the local junior high school.

“My job was to train and provide as many resources as possible to farmers. When you increase agricultural productivity, you increase the quality of life for families and communities as well as overall GDP,” she said. “Another challenge was transforming how the youth view agriculture, which is often looked down on in developing countries. I taught them that agriculture can be a profitable business and a multi-disciplinary science with many options for higher education and successful careers.”

That experience drove her to continue her academic studies—this time at Texas A&M—and earn a master’s degree specializing in international agriculture development.

Today, Barnes serves as the senior advisor to U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins, where she specializes in rural development, research, biofuels, and national security issues related to agriculture.

“The secretary acknowledges the many issues facing American farmers, ranchers, and foresters, and she wants to create measurable policy to tackle those issues,” Barnes said. “I spend a lot of my time working with folks across USDA to develop those policies and make recommendations to the secretary. But I also spend a lot of time listening to farmers. We want to develop policies that will have a measurable positive impact on them.”

Barnes encourages today’s agriculture students to understand the issues and gain as much real-world experience as possible.

“Education is incredibly important, but the more well-rounded you are, the more you’ll have to offer,” she said. “Look for internships, join clubs within your discipline, and after graduation, stay connected to MSU since it offers so many resources for alumni. And don’t be afraid to say yes to many different opportunities.”