Many grower leaders representing Minnesota Soybean are adept at discussing farming practices and answering questions from local, state, national and international journalists. But a group of agriculture students from South Dakota State University brought inquiries that surprised and impressed even the most skilled directors.
The kids understood the assignment.
“I thought they were very prepared and very well spoken,” said Gail Donkers, vice chair of the Minnesota Soybean Research & Promotion Council. “I thought that they really put a little bit of time and effort into what they were asking and genuinely wanted to make conversation with us.”
For the second straight year, MSR&PC invested checkoff resources in sponsoring a group of nearly 40 SDSU students, including 14 Minnesota natives, to travel to Commodity Classic to learn the latest in agriculture trends, visit the trade show, build networking skills and attend meetings. Luke Gordon, son of former Minnesota Soybean Growers Association Director Bill Gordon, made the initial outreach to MSR&PC for the funding request.
“We really appreciate the Council’s support of the future of agriculture,” said Gordon, an agriculture systems technology major who participated in MSGA’s inaugural Young & Emerging Farmer Workshop. “It’s great to visit with them here at Classic and pick their brains.”
The students gathered for a 45-minute meeting with Council and MSGA directors, a sea of blue shirts filling the lobby of the Hyatt Regency in Denver. Farmer leaders explained MSR&PC and MSGA missions, while SDSU students and faculty peppered farmers with varying questions, ranging from the high oleic soybean market to developing new markets via the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway System to U.S. Soy’s competitiveness in the global marketplace.
Council Chair Tom Frisch commended the aspiring agriculture professionals for their stack of questions.
“They were very well prepared and professional. I think we could’ve sat there and talked for another hour,” he said. “They had done their homework, which was really refreshing.”
‘Future leaders’
The Council has enjoyed a long relationship with SDSU through investing in research projects, including a swine education and research facility, and helping fund the Raven Precision Agriculture Center.
“We have a long history of supporting universities throughout the region,” Frisch said. “It’s a great use of checkoff resources, both on the research side and through developing leaders.”
The students also asked about MSGA’s advocacy efforts on growing the sustainable aviation fuel market.
“They brought some questions that I thought were above what I would expect from college students,” said Ryan Mackenthun, MSGA vice president. “They were really engaged with the policies going on in the real world today. I was impressed by that.”
Andrew Burns, an agriculture science major, participated in the first visit with Minnesota Soybean at the 2024 Commodity Classic. Burns, who farms in Stewart, Minn., and is involved in the Minnesota FFA, said it was a thrill to reconnect with directors.
“It’s really cool to see how Minnesota Soybean advocates for farmers and the way they’re promoting agriculture and all the uses of soybeans,” Burns said. “It’s just been amazing to soak up all their information and expertise.”
Council CEO Tom Slunecka, an SDSU alum, spoke with a small group of students afterwards, urging them to step outside their comfort zones.
“Don’t be afraid to take chances,” he said. “That attitude can open up lots of possibilities and opportunities.”
Slunecka will return to his alma mater March 27 when he speaks to SDSU’s Agronomy Club in Brookings, S.D.
“We really appreciate the checkoff partnership we have with SDSU,” Slunecka said. “A lot of these students are from Minnesota. They could be our future leaders.”
