Q: What is your role in agriculture today?
A: My role in agriculture today is to cultivate and grow new ideas that will benefit farmers, ranchers and the cooperatives they own. I work at North Dakota Farmers Union as the agricultural strategist where I investigate investment opportunities, provide transition planning for farmers and ranchers, lobby on behalf of our members' policies and represent them on numerous boards. I am also active on the family farm in Wheaton, Minn., where my wife and I plan to return some day.
Q: How has agriculture shaped your life?
A: Being raised on a family farm instilled a hard work ethic, imagination to build and fix things and a sense of belonging. My upbringing gave me a deep sense of what I can only describe as love for the land. Without agriculture, I would just be an economist and not an agricultural economist.
Q: What excites you about your community?
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A: Within in the agriculture community, I am excited when I see the next generation taking over. It gives me hope that someday we will be on the farm and our future children will have that opportunity as well. Within North Dakota Farmers Union, I am excited to see new leaders emerging and being mentored by current leaders.
Q: If you could choose anyone, who would you pick as your mentor?
A: I don't think I would want to stop with just one; there are so many people who influence a person's life that you should have a network of mentors. My ultimate network of mentors would be Warren Buffett for his business knowledge and philanthropy, Mike Rowe for his hard work and storytelling ability, John F. Kennedy as a visionary, Martin Luther King Jr. for his leadership, U.S. Representative Collin Peterson for telling it how it is, Pope Francis for his work to bridge religions, and many more. I know it's a very diverse network, but my life to date has been shaped by so many mentors from family, friends and current and past co-workers that I could not pick only one.
Q: If you had the opportunity to get a message across to a large group of people, what would your message be?
A: I have been called the NDFU agricultural strategist and professional joke teller, so my message is to enjoy life to the fullest. Life is too short to worry about tomorrow. "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." Matthew 6:34.
My other message is be involved in organizations like NDFU. Make sure you are involved in an organization that represents you and where, collectively, you have influence.
If you would like more information about NDFU, visit ndfu.org, and you can follow Dane on Twitter @DaneBraun.
Would you like to be featured in this segment or know of someone who would make an interesting profile? Contact Katie Pinke at kpinke@agweek.com .
