Greg Mruk

Greg Mruk

  • Senior Extension Associate
  • Executive Director of NY FarmNet

Interdisciplinary Theme

Faculty Expertise

  • Farm and Agribusiness Management

Contact

Charles H. Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management

607.255.2584

gem245@cornell.edu

Cornell Directory Entry

Website

Biography

Gregory (Greg) Mruk is a graduate of University of Massachusetts Amherst with a BS in agricultural economics and St. Michael's College with a MS in administration. Mruk grew up in New York state and as a child always wanted to be a farmer. He paid his way through college working on a 400-cow dairy farm, where he gained experience in the industry. After graduating from UMass in 1985, Mruk moved to northern Vermont and for 30 years lived and worked in the Champlain Valley region.

For 25 years, Mruk was actively involved in agriculture financing. The region is very dairy and maple centric and it was here he really learned the challenges for farm families in not only running a successful farm operation but the toll it can take on the family. His career included time as a county supervisor for FSA, senior executive VP for a community bank, and an ag loan officer for a statewide bank. After he left banking, he focused on farming; he operated a small market farm and ran a consulting business to assist farmers and small businesses. Mruk was also a member of the board of directors for the local hospital, and it was during this time that he became familiar with the challenges rural families have in accessing both health care and mental health services.

In 2012, Mruk moved to southern California and worked as the Farm Manager for LA Pierce College, a community college in the San Fernando Valley with a 200-acre farm. There, he managed the various enterprises as well as oversaw the labs and hands-on training offered to their students. In 2017, he and his wife Dawn moved back to New York and purchased a small farm in Dutchess County.

Academic Degrees

  • MS St. Michaels College, 1999
  • BS University of Massachusetts, 1985