Name: Coble, Keith
Title: Department Head at Mississippi State University
Texas A&M Class: 1993
Inducted: 2026
Biography
Keith Coble grew up in Mountain Grove, Missouri on a dairy farm. He graduated from Mountain Grove High School in 1978. Throughout high school, he was very active in FFA, including being the state of Missouri First Vice-President.
Coble graduated from the University of Missouri in 1981 with his B.S. in Agricultural Education. He then earned his Masters in Agricultural Education in 1984 at the University of Missouri. While working towards his Masters, Coble was also a Vocational Agriculture Instructor at Car Junction Schools during 1982-1987. As a high school Ag Teacher, he realized that agricultural economics is what he really enjoyed teaching. In September of 1987, with encouragement of past professors, Coble enrolled in the Texas A&M University Department of Agricultural Economics doctoral program. While at Texas A&M, he was a Graduate Fellow and Research Assistant. Dr. Coble earned his Ph.D. in Agricultural Economics at Texas A&M University in 1993.
Following his 1993 graduation, Dr. Coble joined the Risk Analysis Team of the Commercial Agriculture Division at the United States Department of Agriculture as an Agricultural Economist. In 1996, he moved up to the Team Leader of the Risk Analysis Team. However, in 1997, a chance to teach and be closer to family led him to join the Mississippi State University Department of Agricultural Economics research/teaching faculty in 1997. It also gave him a chance to reunite with his mentor, John Lee, the former head of USDA/ERS.
Dr. Coble’s research program at Mississippi State University is focused on risk, insurance, and farm policy. His principal teaching areas are focused on food and agriculture. He also has had an Extension appointment focused on farm policy. In 2013-2014, Dr. Coble had the unique opportunity to serve as a Chief Economist for the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee. There, he helped in the passage of the 2014 Farm Bill. Coble has been Department Head at Mississippi State University since 2016. In that role, he has concentrated on faculty research development and updating teaching and Extension programs.
Dr. Coble has received more than 20 awards for his research and teaching. Among his favorite awards are the Bruce Gardner Award and the SEC Faculty Award. Dr. Coble is a very active member of the Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, of which he currently is President. He is also a member of the American Economic Association, the Southern Agricultural Economics Association, the Western Agricultural Economics Association, and the National FFA Alumni Association. Coble has served also as President and Vice-President in the Mississippi Agricultural Economics Association.
As an active member in his community, Dr. Coble was on the Starkville Public School District Board of Trustees for nine years (2008-2017), and was President during 2011-2012 and 2016-2017. Dr. Coble is also a Life-time Member of the National FFA Alumni Association. He is a member of the Mississippi Energy Policy Institute and the committee advisor for the Mississippi Farm Bureau Risk Management Policy Committee.
Dr. Coble and his wife, Kim, have been married for 33 years. They have three children — Kenton, Kara, and Kelly. The Cobles enjoy being active in their church, Starkville Church of Christ.