Cliff Becker, Vice President of New Campus Development for the American Royal, passed away unexpectedly on Saturday, December 30th while visiting family in California.
A 1984 graduate of Western Illinois University, Cliff was a fourth-generation agriculturalist that always put his passion for food and food production into supporting his clients’ needs for over 39 years. Cliff’s prior experience included serving as the Executive Vice President at Farm Journal for over 10 years and a 23-year career with Vance Publishing Corporation, where he served as the Senior Vice-President and Publishing Director for their food360 Division. Cliff also served on many boards of several diverse food and agriculture organizations.
Cliff had been recognized with several awards including the National Agri-Marketing Association’s Career Achievement Award and the Livestock Publication Council’s Distinguished Service Award. Along with these accomplishments, Cliff was a nationally recognized speaker on food and agriculture related issues.
Since joining the American Royal team, Cliff expressed his excitement for the future of the new American Royal campus and its impact to the agricultural and food community and the nation. Cliff has been instrumental in the success of the organization and always jumped in to help with all events. He was a dedicated member of the team and was passionate about the mission of the American Royal. Cliff Becker will be deeply missed by all.
He is survived by his wife Kristine and two children. A complete obituary will be published at a later date.
