Ben Putman

Research Associate

Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering
University of Arkansas

Ben Putman serves as a research associate in the Biological Engineering Department and adjunct faculty member at the University of Arkansas. His research focuses on the environmental performance of food and agricultural supply chains with an emphasis on the life cycle assessment methodology. He earned a Bachelor and Master of Science in Biological Engineering from the University of Arkansas. Mr. Putman has worked with a number of U.S. agriculture industries including the National Pork Board, the U.S. Poultry and Egg Association, the National Corn Growers Association and the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association to enhance the resiliency of U.S. agriculture and promote continual improvement of the industry’s environmental performance. Mr. Putman also works with researchers from around the world in the development of new methods of characterizing impacts on biodiversity and ecosystem services so that sustainability assessments can more accurately reflect the consequences of decisions with regard to land use. He is currently working with the U.S. Department of Agricultural National Ag. Library in developing and curating the LCA Commons, a repository of life cycle inventory data created to support transparency and collaboration among researchers. In addition to his work in academia, Mr. Putman has worked as a consultant for organizations looking to make more environmentally sustainable decisions and as an industry expert for the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB), which aims to improve the effectiveness and comparability of corporate disclosure on material environmental, social, and governance factors in SEC filings.

Putman, B., Thoma, G., Burek, J. Matlock, M. (2017) A retrospective analysis of the United States poultry industry from 1965 to 2010. Agricultural Systems. 157. 107-117. DOI: 10.1016/j.agsy.2017.07.008

Vidal Legaz B, Maia De Souza D, Teixeira RFM, Antón A, Putman B, Sala S. (2016) Soil quality, properties, and functions in Life Cycle Assessment: an evaluation of models. Journal of Cleaner Production. 140. DOI: 10.1016/j.jclepro.2016.05.077

Putman, B., Matlock, M., Thoma, G. (2016) Interim Report on the Sustainability Assessment of U.S. Beef Production Systems. Prepared for the National Cattleman’s Beef Association.

Vidal-Legaz B, Sala S, Antón A, Maia De Souza D, Nocita M, Putman B, Teixeira RFM (2016) Land-use related environmental indicators for Life Cycle Assessment; doi: 10.2788/905478

Thoma, G., Matlock, M., Putman, B., & Burek, J. (2015). Quantifying the Land Footprint for US Pork Production Using Life Cycle Analysis. Fayetteville, AR: University of Arkansas.

Recent Projects

Sustainability Benchmark for the US Beef Industry
Retrospective Assessment of US Pork Production

Funding Organizations

National Pork Board
U.S. Poultry and Egg Association
National Corn Growers Association
National Cattlemen’s Beef Association
USDA National Ag. Library

Contributions

Sustainability Accounting Standards Board – Consumption Industry Working Group
Sustainability Accounting Standards Board – Agriculture Industry Working Group
UNEP-SETAC Life Cycle Initiative – Land Use Task Force: Biodiversity

University of Arkansas Fayetteville, AR
Research Associate August 2015 – Present
Work with U.S. agriculture industry groups including the National Pork Board, the U.S. Poultry and Egg Association, the National Corn Growers Association and the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association to enhance the resiliency of U.S. agriculture and promote continual improvement of the industry’s environmental performance using Life Cycle Assessment and other environmental assessment methods.

University of Arkansas Fayetteville, AR
Graduate Research Assistant August 2013 – July 2015
Research and analysis of supply chains and associated environmental impacts using Life Cycle Assessment. Focus on land use, climate change, and water consumption in U.S. agriculture. Interpretation of results to identify inefficiencies and opportunities for improvement.

Bio Base Europe Pilot Plant Gent, Belgium
Engineering Intern May – July 2013
Develop bio-based materials for packaging and engineer new methods for obtaining bioenergy from waste. Use pharmaceutical-grade bioreactors to reproduce lab-scale experiments at commercial production quantities.

Engineering Welcome Center University of Arkansas
Biological Engineering Recruiter April 2011 – August 2013
General recruitment activities including personalized tours, presentations to groups, phone campaigns, program development, and creation of promotional materials.

B.S. Biological Engineering, University of Arkansas, 2013
M.S. Biological Engineering, University of Arkansas, 2015

208 Engineering Hall
University of Arkansas
Fayetteville, AR, 72701

wputman@uark.edu