Farm Market News and Auctions | Features about people in ag.

A chat with Lisa Kelley Pipestone County 4-H Program Director

Farm Market News: What is your professional affiliation?
Lisa Kelley: Pipestone County 4-H Program director.

FMN: How long have you served in this position?
LK: I started my 13th year on May 28.

FMN: What are your organization’s primary objectives?
LK: Educational youth development.

FMN: How does your organization benefit its members?
LK: 4-H helps young people realize the full potential of their talents and abilities, as individuals and as part of a larger society. 4-H encourages members to learn as a family, teaches citizenship, communication and life skills that carry with them through their life.

Pipestone County 4-H is a year-round program, with the crowning jewel of the year being the Pipestone County Fair, which will be held July 31 and August 1-3. On average, 180-plus youth participate in the Pipestone County Fair with approximately 65 youth attending the Minnesota State Fair in various events. There are 230 4-H members in Pipestone County with new family growth at 19 for 2013. Approximately 90 youth are involved in after school programs, not including Cloverbuds.

4-H programs offered in Pipestone County include, judging teams (dairy, general livestock & consumer) quiz bowl teams, shooting sports, LEGO robotics, horse, interstate exchange, ambassador programs, after school, home school programs and Cloverbuds.

The possibilities are endless in 4-H!
Community 4-H Clubs in Pipestone include: Sweet Strivers, Troy Toilers, Prairie Grangers and Trosky Peppy Pebbles. Clubs are encouraged to be active in service projects to better their community.

FMN: Where did you grow up?
LK: On a dairy farm near Chandler, Minn.

FMN: Do you farm currently? If so, where?
LK: I do not currently live on a farm, but agriculture as always been a part of my life.

FMN: Family?
LK: Married to Mike Kelley, five children (collectively): Brittany 29, Austin 25, Stanton 25, Austin 23, and Taylor 16.

FMN: Outside interests?
LK: Love to travel, try new restaurants, hike, and fly fish!

FMN: What advice would you give to young people looking at a career in agriculture?
LK: We need to keep our young people in the agriculture business in all aspects. We cannot become dependent on foreign food supplies. Example: foreign oil. We need young people to be educated, innovative and motivated to be the best they can be in the farming industry!

A chat with Sydney Place-Sallstrom

FMN: What is your professional affiliation? How long have you served in this position?
Sydney Place-Sallstrom: I work for CHS, the nation’s largest agriculture cooperative, owned by farmers, ranchers and co-ops across the United States. A diversified global energy, grains and foods business and a Fortune 100 company, CHS is committed to helping its producers and member cooperatives grow their businesses through its domestic and global operations, which include refineries, processing plants and export facilities. CHS supplies its member cooperatives and producers with energy under its Cenex brand, crop nutrients, grain marketing services, livestock feed, food and food ingredients, along with business solutions, including consulting, insurance and financial and risk management services.
Since January 2012, I’ve worked as a market development analyst with my teammates across the country delivering strategies and customized solutions to member cooperatives to help their businesses grow and strengthen their relationship with CHS. Projects include mergers and acquisitions, equity restructuring, strategic business planning and board development, among others.

FMN: What are your organization's primary objectives?
SPS: The aligned solutions department of CHS has four key objectives:
1. Market development for member cooperatives
2. Market development for CHS business units
3. CEO and executive level placement for cooperatives
4. Leadership and organization development for cooperatives
It is these objectives that drive our business platform of education, strategic planning and organization development.

FMN: How does your organization benefit its members?
SPS: Cooperatives are a unique business model because they provide members the products and services needed to operate and pay out proportional dividends for those purchases based on year-end profitability. In 2012, CHS recorded a record profit of $1.26 billion and returned $600 million of that to its member cooperatives and producers in the form of patronage checks. A full $116 million alone was returned to Minnesota members.

FMN: Where did you grow up?
SPS: I grew up in Okabena and credit my involvement in the National FFA Organization to my current career in the agriculture industry. While serving as a Minnesota state FFA officer, I was introduced to leaders within CHS and offered an internship. After that first experience, I pursued opportunities outside of the industry to broaden my experience but knew agriculture was where I wanted to be upon graduating from the University of Minnesota’s Carlson School of Management. CHS, with its global mindset and rural roots, was the best fit for me.

FMN: Outside interests?
SPS: As an old Jackson County Arts Guilds alum, I’ve acquired a reinvigorated interest in the theater community of the Twin Cities now that I’m through with college and have time to devote. I was in the musical “White Christmas” in Northfield last December and will be in the stage play “The Seven Year Itch” this summer in Faribault. Apart from my theater involvement, I am a season ticket holder to the Minnesota Gopher football and men’s basketball teams, obsessed with all the horrible reality TV my parents hate and am attempting to take up golf (my new husband’s idea, not mine).