The Propane Education & Research Council announced today the appointment of Cinch Munson as its new director of agriculture business development.

Munson will lead PERC’s product development efforts in the agricultural market, which have already resulted in a number of new technologies that help farmers cut fuel costs and improve the efficiency of their operations. Examples include propane-powered irrigation engines, grain dryers, generators, and thermal weed and pest control products.

“In addition to his agricultural expertise, Munson has extensive experience helping agribusinesses expand into new markets through technology — a key aspect of PERC’s role as a technology incubator,” Tucker Perkins, chief business development officer at PERC, said.

Prior to joining PERC, Munson led product development at a variety of agricultural companies. As director of market operations at Mercaris, Munson helped launch an online trading platform for the sustainable agriculture market. He also worked as manager of product quality and innovation for Oxbow Animal Health and as a special projects manager at AgInfoLink. Munson was also the associate vice president of Mid-Plains Community College, where he helped develop an award-winning corporate degree program with Union Pacific Railroad.

“With nearly 40% of our nation’s farms using propane for a variety of applications, PERC is always striving to develop new technologies using clean, American-made propane that can help our nation’s farmers improve their bottom line,” Perkins said. “With Munson at the helm of our commercialization efforts, we look forward to developing new partnerships with the agribusiness brands that farmers trust most.”

A resident of North Platte, Neb., Munson grew up in an agricultural family on a ranch in the Nebraska Sandhills. He received a bachelor’s degree in agriculture from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and a master’s degree from Colorado State University.