This article first appeared in the September-October 2026 issue of Soybean Business. Click here to read the digital issue. 

By Allison Wright

As a wife, mother of four, co-owner of a small engine and repair shop and full-time employee with the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE), Lindsey Brockberg of Cottonwood County has dedicated her life to educating and championing agriculture’s next generation.  

Brockberg was raised on a farm near Mountain Lake, where she quickly became involved in her local FFA chapter. She embraced every opportunity to become more involved in the organization, eventually serving as a regional FFA officer. Through her FFA experiences, Brockberg developed a passion for education, using her voice to help people learn more about agriculture and clarify industry misconceptions.   

 Although Brockberg was unsure what career path she wanted to pursue in agriculture, she felt the positive impact her FFA teacher, Mr. Apple, made on her life. That experience inspired her to want to make the same kind of difference for other students. She also saw the joy her brother, TJ Brown, found at that time teaching agricultural education; she knew if she didn’t try teaching, she would always regret it.  

Lindsey Brockberg, (middle) accepts her Honorary State FFA Degree for her leadership and advocacy on behalf of agricultural education.

This eventually led her to Ridgewater College, where she participated in the 2+2 program and earned her associate degree and then transferred to the University of Minnesota, earning her bachelor’s degree in agricultural education. After college she returned to Mountain Lake to take on the agriculture teaching role.  

“I have a passion for agriculture, and I have a passion for educating young people in agriculture,” Brockberg said.  

One day, Brockberg received a call from Dale Evers, former chairman of the Cottonwood County Corn and Soybean Growers board, inviting her to attend a board meeting. Since that first meeting, Brockberg has enjoyed the opportunity to share her passion for education with the board and connect with an even broader community. Now serving as the secretary and sitting on the events and marketing committee, she hopes to continue educating others and to help promote a better understanding of the industry through her membership in the Minnesota Soybean Growers Association.  

 “My goal from joining the Cottonwood County Corn & Soybean Growers is to work with other people to share the message of all the good that is agriculture and how we are trying to do great things with less land, water and limiting chemicals and pesticides,” Brockberg said. “Although I am not heavily involved on the production side of corn and soybeans, I have the passion to educate, and the Corn and Soybean Growers is a great way to reach a broader community that I can help educate.”  

Brockberg currently works full time as MDE’s agriculture, food and natural resource specialist. In her role, she works at the state level to help schools jumpstart agricultural programs, provide educational resources and strengthen agricultural education opportunities for students across Minnesota. At the 2026 Minnesota FFA Convention, Brockberg received an Honorary State FFA Degree for her leadership and advocacy on behalf of agriculture education in Minnesota.