Commissioner Leigh Lenzmeier is one of a select group of 30 Minnesotans chosen to participate in a two-year intensive agricultural educational program. Only 10 of the 30 participants in the Minnesota Agriculture and Rural Leadership (MARL) program are agribusiness or community leaders, the other 20 are agricultural producers. This two-year intensive educational experience is designed to develop agricultural leaders for the future. Through intensive study, training and travel experiences, the group will come away with the knowledge necessary to create a better rural Minnesota. In addition to numerous location-related subject matter sessions around the state, the program also features a one-week national study tour around Washington D.C. and a two-week international study tour. With rural roots, Lenzmeier was forced into advocacy for agriculture eight years ago while serving on the County Board. He discovered he wanted to learn more about agriculture, and now he doesn’t want to get away from it. After speaking to the first class years ago, Lenzmeier said he always wanted to know more about the MARL program. Being the only one of its kind, he appreciated the detail of instruction that came out of the courses and how it looked in-depth at local, regional and state policies specific to Minnesota. As part of the MARL class, which begins in November, Lenzmeier sees this as an opportunity to learn more.
