Cal Thorson became the first Technical Information Specialist in the USDA Agricultural Research Service in 2002. Since leaving the farm at Wing, ND, he earned baccalaureate degrees at NDSU and a masters from UND, taught high school, was a USAF Nuclear Launch Control Officer in the Minuteman Missile silos, was a marketing professional in both crop and livestock industries for two decades, led national marketing teams, North Dakota’s agribusiness trade organization, the Soil & Water Conservation Society, and the Manitoba-North Dakota Zero Tillage Farmers Association. Thorson joined the USDA Agricultural Research Service to increase the organization’s customer focus and the impact of USDA-ARS research for family farmers and ranchers.