Tim Jerzak doesn’t have children, but keeping today’s youth safe around farm equipment is a priority for the 37-year old farmer.

“We need to make sure kids know that a lot of this equipment is dangerous,” Jerzak says. “I love young people. Protecting them is very important to me.”

Jerzak has been farming with his father, Jerome, and brother, Jeff, for more than 15 years. The Jerzak’s grow soybeans, corn and wheat on the family farm in Lincoln County, Minn.

Jerzak joined the Lincoln County Corn and Soybean Growers Board about 10 years ago, and was elected president in 2016. During Lincoln County’s annual meeting, the board raises money through an auction; all the proceeds go toward scholarships for local students.

“I love promoting farming to young people,” Jerzak says. “We also have a fantastic board that likes to have fun and connect with the community.”

Jerzak has also been a Minnesota Soybean Growers Association (MSGA) member for about a decade. He says his membership is important because it affords fellow Lincoln County board members and MSGA and American Soybean Association Directors Bob Worth and Joel Schreurs with the opportunity to meet with legislators and advocate on behalf of Minnesota’s soybean farmers.

“My membership helps get the word out to legislators,” he says. “That alone makes it worth it to me.”

The Minnesota Soybean Growers Association is the nation’s largest soybean association because farmers and agribusinesses have recognized the value MSGA membership brings. ‘Faces of MSGA’ recognizes those members who actively promote Minnesota’s soybean industry.