SAVANNAH, Ga. — Delegates to the National Farmers Union 118 th Anniversary Convention on March 2 elected Rob Larew to succeed Roger Johnson as the organization’s president.
Patty Edelburg, a Wisconsin dairy farmer, was reelected to serve a second term as vice president. Larew and Edelburg’s two-year terms began on March 2 and will conclude at NFU’s 120 th Anniversary Convention in 2022, at which point both may seek reelection.
Larew succeeds Roger Johnson, a native of Turtle Lake, N.D., and a former North Dakota agriculture commissioner. Johnson served as the 14th president of National Farmers Union since March 2009. He announced his retirement in December 2019.
“I am so honored that the farmers and ranchers, rural Americans, and advocates who make National Farmers Union all that it is have entrusted me with this great responsibility,” Larew said. “Under Roger’s leadership, this organization has grown and flourished. I look forward to building on those accomplishments to further expand the reach and strengthen the reputation of Farmers Union.”
Larew, who was raised on a West Virginia dairy farm, served as NFU's senior vice president of public policy and communications since fall 2016. In that role, he oversaw the organization's legislative advocacy in Congress and the executive branch as well as its public relations activities.
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Prior to working with NFU, Larew served over 22 years in Congress and USDA working on agriculture policy and communication. Most recently he was the staff director of the House Committee on Agriculture where he oversaw the committee’s efforts during the 2008 and 2014 farm bills. He previously served as the director of congressional and public affairs at the Food Safety and Inspection Service at USDA and worked as an agricultural aide to Rep. Collin Peterson and the late Sen. Paul Wellstone.
