Polk County in northwest Minnesota was hardly a soybean production powerhouse when Beltrami farmer Mike Skaug was appointed to the Minnesota Soybean Growers Association (MSGA) in 2011. Thanks to research developments – including investments from the soy checkoff – from 2000 to 2023 soybean acreage in Polk County increased from 186,000 acres to 283,000; by 2023, Polk County harvested nearly 12 million bushels of soybeans, the most of any Minnesota county.  

“Polk County is a special place and has a lot of advantages, given its location and proximity to rail and its infrastructure,” said Skaug, who’s been farming in the area since the late 1970s.  

While Skaug won’t take any credit for his home county’s widespread embrace of the miracle bean, he’s taking a well-deserved victory lap following nearly 15 years representing his local and state farmers on MSGA. 

“So many positive things can happen when you’re together and in a setting where you’re all behind a common cause,” Skaug told his MSGA colleagues. “We’ve led on a lot of issues over the years, and it’s made a difference in our operation and in our communities.” 

Skaug continues to lead through the wisdom of knowing when the time has come to step aside. All things must pass, and the affable farmer, who always arrived to MSGA events with a wide smile and firm handshake, retired from MSGA following its August 2025 board meeting.  

He left with no regrets, secure in knowing he far exceeded his primary goal: serving his community and fellow farmers.  

“When I first came on the MSGA board, I asked a few of the directors when I started to get to know them. I asked them why they were on the board. A lot of them said they wanted to give back to their community in a different way than they have in the past,” Skaug said. “To bring yourself into this kind of setting is really awesome because not only are you helping your community. You’re being an ambassador for your community and for other growers and that’s a really cool thing. You all take it seriously. I like being part of that type of thing where you have the credibility.”  

 Good guys go far 

MSGA honored Skaug, who served as president from 2021-2022, during the meeting. President Darin Johnson presented Skaug with a customized clock recognizing Skaug for always being “ahead of his time.” 

Chalk one up for a good guy and consummate spokesperson for soy, Johnson said.  

“Mike has invested a large amount of time into this organization,” said Johnson, who served as MSGA treasurer under Skaug. “He’s been a great friend and fantastic mentor, has always been there for me and many others here. We’ve had a lot of fun and laughs together. Thank you, Mike, for your dedication to Minnesota Soybean, and thank you for your dedication to agriculture in general. Your passion truly does just ooze from you, and we’ve been very lucky to have you by our side.”  

Skaug vacates his role on the state board with a lengthy list of accomplishments. He was an early board member of Ag Management Solutions, the group that oversees the daily operations of MSGA and the Minnesota Soybean Research & Promotion Council and became a nationally recognized management group. He also chaired the Ag Innovation Campus for several years. Although market factors prevented the AIC from reaching its potential as a crush and research facility, Skaug is proud of the farmer-led effort.  

“It was the right vision at the right place, and we stepped forward and gave it our all,” he said. “We were disappointed that it didn’t quite meet our expectations, but the overall mission of the AIC is still viable today. We all volunteered our time with the best intentions.”  

Skaug’s tenure as MSGA president was marked by the sometimes-awkward transition from virtual meetings to face-to-face visits.  

“When you went back into person, you saw in people’s body language that people were almost shy,” he said. “But it got back to relatively normal fairly quickly.”  

During the 2022 legislative session, Skaug helped MSGA notch several policy wins including tax reform, school building bond relief, benefits for beginning farmers and protecting biodiesel. Through steady leadership, Skaug earned the admiration of farmers and staff colleagues alike.  

“Mike was a mentor to me and did a wondering job representing MSGA,” said Bob Worth, who served as vice president under Skaug.  

MSGA Executive Director Joe Smentek also cultivated a close professional and personal bond with Skaug over the past dozen years. When Skaug initially begged off being the cover subject in a 2021 issue of Soybean Business, it was Smentek who called to gently remind he’d earned his place on the front page.  

“I loved working with Mike in St. Paul and D.C. on behalf of Minnesota farmers,” Smentek said. “He truly is a great ag advocate and a good friend.”  

Hopes and fears 

Skaug has his concerns about the state ag economy. While his operation, which he runs with his wife, DeAnn, and son, Ryan, growing soybeans, corn and spring wheat, might harvest a record crop this fall, he’s worried about finding markets for his commodities. Tariffs and rising input costs are making economic conditions unsustainable for many family farms, he said.  

“In some ways, it’s tougher now than the ’80s,” he said. “If these young guys in the area don’t make it, it’s really a crying shame, because they are really good at doing this, and they’re interested in farming.”  

Still, the optimism in Skaug is bound to win out. He sees a level of communication and sophistication in his son’s generation that go way beyond previous eras in farming.  

“Ryan’s a way better farmer than I am, and he’s a good manager,” said Skaug, who also has two grandchildren. “I see it with the younger farmers, they’ll share information with each other. And they’ll do trials together in different locations, and they’ll share that. And they just keep in touch with one another, on different things, way more than we did.”  

Skaug, who is passing his MSGA board seat to Trevore Brekken, plans to stay involved in the advocacy, just on a smaller scale. He’ll remain on his Polk County board and plans to participate as a county delegate during MSGA’s annual meeting in January 2026 at MN Ag Expo. And stay a member of MSGA, naturally.  

He might not have moved mountains, but Mike Skaug moved the needle and made many friends along the way.  

“Political leaders look to MSGA for guidance and for information on issues,” he said in his farewell remarks. “That’s really a good thing. Thank you, everyone, for letting me be a part of this organization and for the relationships that we’ve had.”