David Hirschi serves as vice president of Plant Sciences, Agronomic Programs & Farm Data at J.R. Simplot Company, one of the largest agriculture businesses in the United States. He assumed leadership of Simplot Plant Sciences in August 2022, bringing extensive experience in global procurement, business development and agricultural innovation to advance the company’s biotechnology initiatives.
Hirschi earned his Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from Brigham Young University in 1997 and completed his MBA at the University of Michigan’s Stephen M. Ross School of Business in 2004. He joined Simplot in 2016 as senior director of global procurement after a distinguished 20-year career at Dow, where he held positions including global procurement director, ASEAN commercial director and thermal and packaging business director.
Under Hirschi’s leadership, Simplot Plant Sciences has pioneered groundbreaking agricultural biotechnology applications, including CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing technology for developing enhanced crop varieties. He oversees development of innovative products like the Innate potato, engineered to reduce bruising and food waste, and advanced strawberry varieties with extended shelf life.


