Jay Parsons grew up on a diversified crop and livestock farm in the southwestern panhandle of Nebraska. He attended Hastings College and Colorado State University earning a bachelor's degree in mathematics and mathematics education, a master's degree in mathematics, and a Ph.D. in agricultural economics. His areas of specialization include production economics, risk management, and decision analysis. His current work is focused on helping farmers and ranchers understand risk and emerging management tools.
Jay is President and co-owner of Optimal Ag Consulting, Inc. in Fort Collins, Colorado. Along with his wife, Geri, he co-founded Optimal Livestock Services LLC in 2009 as a wholly owned subsidiary of Optimal Ag focused on meeting the growing services needs of the sheep and livestock industry and assisting producers in optimizing profitability. Jay teaches graduate courses in the Western Center for Integrated Resource Management at Colorado State University and remains active as a stake holder in the family farming operation in Nebraska.