A Renville County farmer was presented with the lifetime membership award from the Minnesota Corn Growers Association.
Gerald Mulder, longtime MCGA board member, was given the honor for his commitment to advocacy work and membership recruitment for the organization at the county, state and national level.
Mulder, who has farmed in Renville for around 50 years, served as a "devoted advocate for Minnesota’s corn farmers", said MCGA. Throughout his time with the organization, Mulder has led efforts to raise awareness of the importance of membership for MCGA, where he's served as a board member for nine years.
He's also been a member of the Renville County Corn and Soybean Growers board for decades, and currently serves as its president.
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Shortly after joining the board of the Renville County Corn and Soybean Growers, Mulder worked with Doug Toreen, fellow board member, to grow membership from around 200 to more than 1,000 members. Toreen said that Mulder strongly believed in the importance of grassroots advocacy.
“He has always been a big believer in what Minnesota Corn did,” Toreen said. “He always emphasizes that if we don’t have the numbers when we go to St. Paul or Washington, we aren’t going to be able to get things done.”
Mulder, who lives and works on a farm with his wife, Connie, brought enthusiasm to meetings with lawmakers to elevate issues important to corn growers in the state. He was recognized for his contributions with a special resolution in the Minnesota House of Representatives brought forward by Rep. Tim Miller.
“Gerald is devoted to building a brighter future for his family and all future generations on the farm,” said MCGA President Les Anderson. “As a corn farmer, I am thankful for Gerald’s hard work and honored to have had the opportunity to work alongside him.”
Mulder’s contributions extend to the national level through his work on National Corn Growers Association, where he worked on consumer engagement initiatives. Cathryn Wojcicki, communications director for NCGA, said she appreciated Mulder's "steadfast support for programs like CommonGround," his longtime promotion of conversation over food and farming, and his work with fellow farmers.
“He was always willing to speak up and advocate for the things he believed in, and he had a respected voice that facilitated great discussion," Wojcicki said.
NCGA President Kevin Ross said that Mulder's dedication to the organization was unmatched, and that the "number of members who can trace their first invitation to join back to Gerald is impressive".
"He truly acted as a welcoming ambassador for our industry,” Ross said.
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In addition to earning the Minnesota Lifetime Membership, Mulder was the recipient of MCGA’s Golden Kernel at MN Ag EXPO 2020 for his contributions to MCGA.
