Mathias Peters credits his career path to his background in agriculture. Mathias grew up outside Bellevue, Iowa, on his family’s beef cattle and diversified crop farm. The full-time farming operation, 4-H and FFA involvement, and the opportunity to learn at a world class agriculture school led him to complete his bachelor’s degree in animal science at Iowa State University in 2017.
While at Iowa State, Mathias also held leadership roles, serving as chaplain and philanthropy chair in his fraternity, Alpha Gamma Rho. He was involved with Bacon Expo, Varieties, Homecoming and VEISHEA. His internships during the summers and working part-time during junior and senior semesters at the Iowa Cattlemen’s Association helped build professional experience.
Currently, Mathias lives full-time in Mato Grosso, Brazil as market intelligence manager for Summit Ag Investors. He supports Summit’s established companies and helps identify areas for potential investment. Prior to joining Summit, Mathias held market intelligence and research roles at Vermeer Corporation and KG MarketSense.
When asked how Iowa State prepared him for his current job, Mathias said, “At Iowa State, you are provided an opportunity to achieve a world-class education in agriculture. ISU has professors, researchers, and industry leaders with a wealth of knowledge. The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Career Services and Mike Gaul facilitate opportunities for internships. Alpha Gamma Rho helped me make real-world connections and start building a professional network before graduation.”
Mathias’ favorite class was AN S 331: Domestic Animal Reproduction with Dr. Youngs. Mathias said it was the class that taught him how to learn. He was forced to take the big concepts, deconstruct them, and understand them thoroughly. It has become a skill that is vital to how he approaches work. He is most proud of being able to accept a full-time job offer in October of his senior year and work part-time in the spring before graduation. Mathias said, “That was a great avenue to a career. It was a good mix of learning on the job and in classroom during my senior year.”
When asked if he had any advice for current students, Mathias said, “Upon graduation, don’t focus on finding your ‘dream job’. Get excited about doing things well, find out what you do well, and bring that to your work. The rest will fall into place.”