LEAP Conference

Friday Keynote Speaker

Dan Venteicher, the "Iowadairyfarmer" is a social media sensation. He advocates for the dairy industry with truth and tact capturing the hearts of millions with his educational and humorous Facebook, Tiktok and Instagram posts. He excels at dispelling misinformation about dairy production and enjoys sharing about his day-to-day life as a young farmer. With 2.5 million followers across all platforms and 10-20 million reached monthly, he is one of the largest agricultural influencers in the world.

Pre-Conference Tours and Educational Session

This year's pre-conference tours take place Friday afternoon and showcase businesses and industry in Bemidji. Stops include:

Bemidji Woolen Mills
Bemidji Woolen Mills is a century-old, family-run business famous for making high-quality wool clothing and footwear. 

Lakeland PBS 
The Lakeland PBS signal immediately reaches approximately 383,500 people over an estimated 7,500 square miles in northern and central Minnesota. Their Bemidji headquarters is a state-of-the-art facility located and is home to the KAWE digital television broadcast station.  

Boys & Girls Club of the Bemidji Area

_________

For those not attending the tours, an on-site media and communications training session led by Kevin Jackson with Paul Bunyan Broadcasting will be held.

Service Project

This year’s service project gives members the opportunity to support the Boys & Girls Club of the Bemidji Area’s Garden Club. The project helps the Garden Club continue connecting youth to growing their own food and learning where their food comes from.

Attendees are encouraged to donate funds to support the program, along with a few requested items. These donations will be used to start more than 1,000 seeds indoors in March and to harvest produce throughout the summer.

Requested items include:

• Potting soil or seed-starting soil
• 5- or 7-quart utility pans
• Other new, clean pans, baskets, or buckets are also welcome

In addition, Minnesota Farm Bureau will be donating six raised garden beds, which will be used to grow potatoes this year.

Workshops - Round 1

• Excelling at Ag Entrepreneurship Panel
Anna Lauer, WildFlower Farm; Amy Mastin, Kelliher Cattle Company;

Shelby Radke, Radke Farm

Farmers and ranchers are innovative and tenacious, especially when it comes to finding ways to be the most successful in their businesses. Learn from these three local farmers about what they have done to add alternative revenue to their businesses and meet the needs of their communities.

• Drainage & Public Waters 
Theresa Ebbenga, Department of Natural Resources; Tom Gille, Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources; Brian Martinson, Association of

Minnesota Counties

Water is an essential resource on Minnesota farms and ranches, but regulations and policy can be confusing or complicated. Learn about the latest updates

• Talking about Farm Bureau and Inviting People to Join 
Maegan Meredith, American Farm Bureau Federation

Do you want to recruit new people to Farm Bureau, but find yourself at a loss about how best to do so? This session will equip you with tools and strategies that will help you engage in having a conversation about “What is Farm

Bureau?” with prospective members. This interactive workshop will focus on identifying a prospective member’s interest points, ways to talk about the value of membership, and how to handle concerns a potential member may have.

Workshops - Round 2

• Consumer Trends on Food & Farming 
Lauren Hoffman, FoodMinds

This session highlights new research on values and expectations shaping

how people think about food purchasing and farming practices today. Using insights from the FoodMinds Conscious Consumption Index – a national study tracking attitudes toward food, sustainability, and agriculture – we’ll explore the drivers of trust, key perception gaps facing agriculture, and ways these findings can strengthen advocacy, communication, and storytelling efforts.

• Getting Involved in the Election Process 
Loren Dauer & Hunter Pederson, Minnesota Farm Bureau Federation

Public Policy Team

It’s 2026, which means it is another election year! Farm Bureau’s grassroots advocacy success depends on relationships built with elected officials, which start before you even get to the ballot box. Learn about different ways to engage with candidates this election season, including participating in MFBF’s candidate evaluation committees.

• Options for Farm Transitions 
Cary Knudson, Farm Bureau Financial Services; Nathan Hulinsky, U of M Extension; Jim Ostlie, Minnesota Department of Agriculture

Everyone knows that it is important to have a farm transition plan,

but not everyone knows where to begin. Learn from this panel about different options available to you and learn what the best first step may be. Transferring the farm to the next generation can be burdensome, but these resources can help relieve that stress.

Workshops - Round 3

• What Iron Mining and Agriculture Have in Common 
Kristen Vake, Iron Mining Association of Minnesota 

Iron mining and agriculture may seem miles apart, but when it comes to public perception, they face remarkably similar challenges. Both are essential. Both operate largely out of sight. And both are increasingly asked to earn trust

in new ways. Learn how Minnesota’s iron mining industry is rethinking how it engages the public, moves beyond defensive messaging, and builds credibility in a skeptical environment.

• Minnesota Trade
Lisa Stout, Minnesota Department of Agriculture

Not only is Minnesota a leader in agriculture across the country, but around the world. Learn about the current state of agricultural trade in Minnesota and what the export market looks like in the future.

• Finding Your Story - Featuring Members of The Herd 
Herd Program members: Lauren Hopkins, Zoe Jones, Savannah Selin, Cole Sundeen, and Kloe Wadd

With less than 2% of the United States population being involved in

agriculture, it is more important than ever to be able to share your agriculture story. Learn how members of the MFBF Herd Program use social media and other platforms to share their story and how you can do the same.