How does a small-town English major with no farm background wind up as president of the Illinois Fertilizer and Chemical Association, simultaneously becoming recognized as one of the premier ag regulatory authorities in Illinois?
 
Jean Payne laughs at her winding path. “No one in my family farms. I grew up around ag, but not in it, and I certainly never aspired to have a career in ag!”
 
And yet, here she is — bringing to bear a particular combination of regulatory knowledge and communication skills, from a unique background.
 
Payne started at a rural high school in Calhoun County, Ill. She majored in English at Illinois State University but decided against becoming an English teacher, and took a job in publishing in downtown Chicago. That was great for a year but not for the long term.
 
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