Rice County farmer Brent Fuchs is a member of his local Dakota-Rice County Corn & Soybean Growers board.

As a farmer leader and community member, he’s proud of his county’s support of the Minnesota Ag in the Classroom program.

“It’s a lot of us just trying to get students’ heads wrapped around where did their lunch come from today,” Fuchs said. “The answer isn’t the grocery store. They’ve never put any thought into it because why would they? Nobody’s questioned them or made them think critically about it.”

The board shows students what the commodities are used for. Part two of the event involves taking students to local farms.

Brent currently farms with his wife, Jennifer, their children and his dad, Doug, on their third-generation family farm. Fuchs works at Edney Distributing and attended North Dakota State College of Science in the John Deere Ag Tech Program.

Fuchs has served on his county board for almost 10 years after former Minnesota Soybean Research & Promotion Council Chair Keith Schrader suggested he join. Fuchs’ participation at the local level led to his membership with the Minnesota Soybean Growers Association, which helps represent his interests at the state and national capitals.

“I’m a member because there’s so few of us left in production agriculture. You have less than 2% of the population for help for anything and to have that collaborative voice,” Fuchs said. “I don’t have time to run out to Washington D.C., and fight for anything, and we need all the help we can get.”