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Northwest Minnesota farmer enjoyed serving on MCGA board of directors

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Gary Purath

Gary Purath

Gary Purath only served a little more than a year on the Minnesota Corn Growers Association (MCGA) board of directors, but he says he’ll cherish the experience the rest of his life.

“It was an outstanding experience. Minnesota Corn has a friend up north,” said Purath, who farms in Red Lake County in far northwestern Minnesota. “Anything to help the cause up north, they can count on me.”

With more farmers growing corn in the northwest part of the state and MCGA expanding its membership base in northern areas, Purath provided an important voice for northern growers. His time on the MCGA board put the finishing touches on a career dedicated to the advancement of agriculture and rural communities.

In addition to the MCGA board, Purath served for 18 years on the Minnesota Beef Council and was president of the Minnesota State Cattlemen’s Association in the mid- to late-1980s. He did all of this after returning to family farming following an abbreviated career as a teacher and coach.

Purath’s community involvement extends beyond just ag groups. He’s also on the Northwest Minnesota Foundation board, serves on the board at an area bank, is involved in the Jamestown College Alumni Association and is active in his local Lions Club and church groups.

Purath still grows corn, soybeans, spring wheat and alfalfa and raises Angus beef — he can’t make Commodity Classic this month because some of his cattle are due to have calves — on his family farm in Red Lake Falls, which is located about 20 miles south of Thief River Falls. But now that his time on the MCGA board is up, he sees himself spending more time with his wife and grandchildren.

Before he left, MinnesotaCornerstone asked Purath what he would say to a person who was considering running for the MCGA board, or serving in any capacity in an ag organization, but wasn’t sure if they had the time to do it.

“I would encourage them to go for it,” Purath said. “There’s always a way to make it work. Sometimes we get so involved in things within our own fence line that we forget about things in Washington or things in St. Paul that impact our bottom line and our way of life. It’s important that we have people who step up and get involved.”

To replace Purath, delegates to the MCGA annual meeting in Mankato in late January elected Zach Fore, who grew up on a family farm in Red Lake County and currently works as a field agronomist at DuPont-Pioneer.

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