Meet the new MCGA and NCGA presidents
On Saturday, Clontarf farmer Richard Syverson became the 2022-23 president of the Minnesota Corn Growers Association (MCGA), and Eden Valley farmer Tom Haag became the 2022-23 president of the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA).
Syverson, who raises corn, soybeans, and sheep on a fourth-generation family farm, succeeded Lake Wilson farmer Bryan Biegler. Haag, who grows corn and soybeans, succeeded Iowa farmer Chris Edgington. Haag is the first Minnesotan to serve as NCGA president since 2005-06.
Last week, MCGA’s Public Relations Manager, Nate Gotlieb, sat down with with Syverson and Haag for brief Q&As as they begin their new term. Look for more information about Syverson and Haag in the next edition of Corn Talk, the official publication of Minnesota Corn.
Syverson: ‘If you are able to make a living making things grow, there is something good in you’
How are you feeling about serving as MCGA president?
I’m a little awed by it. … I think the whole pushing to being an [MCGA] officer has helped clarify what I can do and what’s my role [in terms of], ‘how do I maximize my time for the greater good of the farmers of the state?’
What excites you about the position?
I think it’s fun to be involved. It’s fun to talk to the people who are making the decisions.
Sometimes we farmers can get a little into our neighborhoods, and the feedback loop gets kind of short. Getting out and holding a position like this, the feedback loop gets kind of stretched. That’s rewarding.
How did you get into farming?
My folks never really encouraged me to go into farming. They always felt it was kind of a hard way to make a living.
When I graduated from high school, I went to the [University of Minnesota] and chose to major in ag economics, because I could go a lot of different ways after college with it. I had thought about maybe going to law school at one time. When I was a senior, my dad was diagnosed with prostate cancer. I dropped out of school the winter of my senior year and came home while he had surgery and convalesced. My dad and I worked together really well. We got along great. It just seemed natural them [to go into farming].
I went back to school the next winter and got my degree. I got engaged to [my wife] Vicki. The rest is history.
What do you hope to accomplish as MCGA president?
There are things we have to deal with. Crises that come up in terms of government initiatives that don’t make sense and would hurt members and their ability to sustainably and productively produce. But I would really like to be able to work together with other groups — commodity groups, other farmer organizations, people who are concerned about the environment — to find our common ground so we can influence policy on a common front, rather than just putting out fires as they come up.
Anything else you’d want to add?
Farm people are almost without exception good people. We might have different politics, different religious bents, differences in how we were raised, but if you are able to make a living making things grow, there is something good in you.
In the [Minnesota Corn] board room, there are so many smart, smart people. The talent is just amazing. I really, really value everyone that volunteers for that board and council and gives up their time. They’ve all got a lot to give, and they’re really a pretty neat group of people.
Haag: ‘We’re taking care of the land so the next generation … will hopefully want to take it over’
How are you feeling about serving as president?
There’s a nervous excitement. I’m looking forward to the year coming ahead. It’s going to go by quick. Everyone says to enjoy it while you can. It’s an honor to be representing 26 states and nearly 40,000 corn grower members nationwide.
Each year, the NCGA president has a slogan that guides his or her work. My slogan for the year is ‘all in.’ With the upcoming farm bill renewal and other important federal legislation such as the Next Generation Fuels Act, it’s important that we’ve got all of our states and members on the same page.
As you look out into the next year, what has you excited?
I get fired up because I want to do this work for the younger generation. They need the same opportunities we have.
What we do get accomplished, that’s going to filter down to the states for the next generations. We want to keep as many tools in that toolbox for the next generation of farmers coming up, like my son and younger farmers, so that they will be able to pass everything down to their kids.
What are NCGA’s top legislative priorities for 2022-23?
One of our biggest priorities will be keeping crop insurance intact in the 2023 farm bill. Federal crop insurance is a major pillar of risk management for the vast majority of corn growers. It works and plays a significant role for agriculture in the wake of natural disasters.
Another key priority for us is advancing the Next Generation Fuels Act, which would take advantage of ethanol to lower fuel prices and reduce carbon emissions. The bill was introduced in the U.S. Senate this past summer and was introduced in the U.S. House last year. In Minnesota, it has support from bipartisan members of the state’s congressional delegation, including U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar and U.S. Reps. Angie Craig and Michelle Fischbach. We’ll continue working to secure additional bipartisan support for the bill.
Finally, we want to create a permanent solution to ensure that consumers have year-round access to E15. We were grateful earlier this year when the Biden administration stepped in and allowed for sales of the biofuel in summer 2022, but it’s crucial that we have a permanent solution in place. We continue to emphasize that restrictions on summertime sales of E15 have nothing to do with the quality, safety, and environmental benefits of the fuel. Lifting outdated restrictions on summertime sales would help drivers save money and lower greenhouse gas emissions.
The new first vice president of NCGA is a fellow Minnesotan, Harold Wolle. What’s it like to work with him?
I’m looking forward to working with Harold. It’s the first time that it’s happened — a president and a first vice president back to back from the same state. I think we’re going to have a good relationship. It’s going to be exciting to have somebody from my home state in that role.
What keeps you optimistic about corn farming?
It’s the satisfaction of what we’re doing out here: growing our crops and taking care of the land. We’re taking care of the land so the next generation, or the following generation, will hopefully want to take it over. It’s just that little bit of excitement and pleasure. That good feeling of what we do in our country and what we can produce. Not only food for ourselves but for the rest of the world.
Anything else you’d want to add?
I’m all in for American corn farmers!
