Shannon Ferrell is a Professor in the Oklahoma State University Department of Agricultural Economics, where he specializes in Agricultural Law. He grew up on a cattle and wheat operation in Western Oklahoma, and obtained his Bachelors and Masters degrees in Agricultural Economics from OSU before obtaining his Juris Doctorate from the Oklahoma City University School of Law with endorsements in Estate Planning and Business and Financial Services Law. Shannon spent a number of years in full-time private practice before joining OSU in 2007.

As an educator and speaker, Shannon helps audiences all over North America understand the fundamental legal elements of farm business management and farm transition planning. He has provided nearly presentations and workshops to a cumulative audience of over 35,000 across the U.S. and Canada while authoring over fifty publications, including serving as lead author on the Farm Transition Workbook. In addition, he has testified before Congress and the Oklahoma state legislature on multiple policy issues involved in farm transitions from regulatory barriers in the transition process to retirement savings for farmers and ranchers. In private practice, he helps farm families with both the conversations involved in forming the best transition planning approach and creating the mechanisms to make their transitions successful.