Office of Indiana State Chemist Inspection Program
What our inspectors do:
Our inspectors serve as the field representatives for our agency. As such, an inspector is charged with effectively communicating and enforcing laws, rules and policies of the agency, inspecting facilities, reviewing records, collecting samples, collecting and documenting evidence, issuing regulatory orders and completing necessary reports for the administrative and laboratory programs.
The
program relies heavily on inspections designed to ensure that manufacturers are using GMP's (Good Manufacturing Practices) in making feeds.
We are proud of our inspection staff! Read more about them:
Tom Smith, Inspector - Tom started with this office in 1999. Tom received a B.S. in Agriculture Education at Purdue University and is a Certified Crop Advisor. Tom's area is the West Central part of the state.
Jean Schnur, Inspector - Jean covers the Southwestern region of the state. She graduated from Purdue with a B.S. degree in Agronomy in 1982. Jean was previously an Inspector for the State Chemist from 1986 to 1994 in the Southeast region of the state, leaving to raise her young family. She has been actively involved in the family farm, raising hay, goats, sheep and cattle before rejoining our staff in April 2014.
Bob Wakeman, Inspector - Our inspector for the East-Central region of Indiana is Bob Wakeman. Bob started
with the Office in 2003. He is a Purdue University graduate with a B.S. in Agriculture, Farm Business and Management.
Britney Fraley, Inspector - Britney is originally from Hancock County where she grew up being actively involved in her family’s hog, cattle, and grain operation. She graduated with a B.S. Degree in Agribusiness Management from Purdue. Prior to being an inspector, she worked for Crop Production Services as a Crop Consultant for 4 years. She will be covering the Southeast region of the state. Britney and her husband live in southern Henry County.
Mitchell Concannon, Inspector - Mitchell covers the Northwest part of the state. He grew up in Delaware County, working on a showpig farm, and was actively involved with 4H. He graduated from Purdue University with a B.S. Degree in Agribusiness Management. Prior to starting at OISC, he worked in the feed industry for several years as a Quality Assurance Manager.
Betta Bennett, Inspector - Betta covers the Northwest region of the state. Originally from Marshall County, Betta grew up on a cattle and hay farm. She graduated from Purdue with a B.S. in Agronomic Business and Marketing before taking a job in the seed industry. While working, she completed a Master’s in Crop Science from University of Illinois. Betta has worked the last 5 years as an agronomist for an independent ag retail company in Northern Indiana.
Corbin Robbins, Urban/Agriculture Products Investigator- Corbin covers the southern half of the state. He is from Decatur County in which he still lives and helps farm with a family friend in his spare time. Corbin received a B.S. degree in Agricultural Economics at Purdue University. Prior to being an inspector, Corbin has worked in the Agriculture field with experience in Agriculture lending and Agriculture retail.
Melinda Burton, Urban/Agriculture Products Investigator- Melinda came to us after over 27 years in the Animal Health industry as a warehouse manager, and as a consultant with Dubois Distributors in Northern Indiana. Melinda has a B.S. in Animal Production from Purdue, and covers the northern Indiana area.
- View the Indiana Map of Inspector Territories (pdf, 264kb)
Anhydrous Ammonia Specialist:
Danny Starke - Danny began working for the Office of Indiana State Chemist (OISC) as the Agricultural Ammonia Specialist in August, 2013. Danny has a degree in Agricultural Engineering at Purdue University. Prior to joining OISC, Danny worked for 14 years with Crop Production Services in Rush County where he served as their operations manager. Danny and his wife live in Rush County with their son where they are active with 4-H, the Raleigh Fire Department, and the Rush County Ag Association. Danny's area covers the entire state of Indiana.
Fertilizer Control Specialist:
Ramona Briggeman - Ramona is currently a Fertilizer Control Specialist with OISC. Prior to her current position, Ramona worked for the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) as a Confined Feeding Operation Compliance Inspector. In that position, she conducted routine field inspections of permitted Confined Feeding Operations (CFO) in 18 counties in SW Indiana to determine compliance with Indiana’s Confined Feeding Control law. This included reviewing manure application records, operating records, on-site inspections of facilities and complaint investigations. She has also worked as a Reclamation Biologist for the Indiana Department of Natural Resources regulating coal mines. This work included conducting environmental reviews and site investigations on coal mine permits. She received her BS in Life Sciences from Indiana State University.
Fertilizer Control Specialist:
Craig Taft - Craig is originally from Southeastern Illinois and grew up around a general veterinary practice. Craig graduated from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale (SIU) with a B.S. degree in Agriculture. He previously worked in the corn and soybean seed research industry. Craig joined the OISC team in April 2015 as a Feed Inspector. His area covers the entire state of Indiana.