Dr. Arbindra Rimal serves as the department head of the Agribusiness, Agricultural Education, and Communications department in the Darr College of Agriculture. As the department head, Rimal oversees all academic development for department coursework, supervises faculty members, and collaborates with other departments to move the Darr College of Agriculture forward.

Rimal graduated from Rutgers University in 1994, receiving his Master of Science in Agricultural Economics. He also has an MBA degree from the Asian Institute of Management. Rimal received his Ph.D. in Food and Resource Economics from the University of Florida in 1999.

Before beginning his career at Missouri State University, Rimal taught for one year at the University of Florida as a teaching assistant. In 2000, Rimal started his tenure track faculty position at Missouri State. Precisely twenty-two years later, Rimal continues to provide exponential ideas and expertise to agriculture students. A few courses Rimal has taught throughout the years are Agribusiness Management, Agricultural Commodity Futures and Options, Agricultural Industry Study, Agricultural Pricing, Land Economics, and Marketing Agricultural Products. In Fall 2022, Rimal will teach Marketing Agricultural Products, Agricultural Prices, and supervise internships for agribusiness students.

 

Rimal has received several awards due to his excellence in economic research with an emphasis on the economic impact of local food and food safety. In 2000, Rimal was awarded the “Presidential Award, Food Distribution Research Society with Excellence in Research and Communication” in recognition of an outstanding published article. In the same year, Rimal received the “Outstanding Cross Commodity Publication Award” from the American Society for Horticultural Science. Rimal is profound in his extensive research as he has published more than 30 refereed papers in several well-known academic journals.

Rimal’s favorite College of Agriculture event is the Agricultural Industry Study (AIS). The purpose of this study is to allow agribusiness students to explore managing various aspects of each firm’s operations through conference room discussions. This includes marketing, finance, operation, and personnel.

“AIS takes place during one week of winter intersession every year. We travel to the Kansas City or St. Louis area businesses alternatively,” Rimal said. “This study is a required capstone course for agribusiness majors. However, it is available to all majors within the College of Agriculture.”

When not conducting research, Rimal can be found either in the classroom or in his office at Karls Hall. In his off time, he can be found biking on trails, playing tennis, or watching his favorite television series episodes, “Curb Your Enthusiasm”.

We are grateful for the passion Dr. Rimal displays for agribusiness, education and communications, teaching, and student success at the Darr College of Agriculture.

Interested in speaking with Dr. Rimal? Send him an email to ArbindraRimal@MissouriState.edu or visit him in Karls Hall office 219.