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Activate:
Minnesota Pork Leadership Cohort

Empowering emerging leaders to protect and promote the future of pork.

Activate: Minnesota Pork Leadership Cohort is an immersive, 18-month experience designed to equip twelve emerging leaders in the pork industry with the tools, confidence, and connections to boldly advocate for Minnesota pig farmers.

Through hands-on training in advocacy, communications, relationship management, leadership, and industry knowledge, participants will grow into a network of excited, equipped, and activated voices for agriculture.

Minnesota Pork is proud to invest in the next generation of leaders — those who will shape policy, inspire trust, and ensure the long-term success of pork production in Minnesota.

Activate is offered by the Minnesota Pork Board and Minnesota Pork Producers Association at no cost to participants.

Application

Applications for Activate Class 1 are now closed. Activate Class 2 applications will open April 2027.

If you are interested in applying, please complete the form below with your information. We will contact you as soon as the next application cycle begins.

Class 2 Information Request
  • Confidence in public speaking, media interviews, and advocacy settings
  • Tools for building relationships with legislators, media, and consumers
  • A deep understanding of the pork industry and its key challenges
  • Leadership skills that transfer to personal, professional, and on-farm settings
  • Access to a supportive network of like-minded ag professionals
  1. Advocacy
  2. Communications
  3. Relationship Management
  4. Leadership
  5. Industry Knowledge

We’re looking for individuals who are:

  • Ages 25–40 (recommended)
  • Actively involved in the pork industry — on-farm (pig owners, contract growers, employees, and managers) or in a related field (nutrition, veterinary, education, marketing, etc.)
  • Passionate about agriculture and eager to advocate for pig farmers
  • Living or working in Minnesota
  • Willing and able to travel for scheduled cohort experiences
  • Committed to participating fully in all program components over the 18-month period

Class 1 Session Schedule

Six sessions over 18 months, concluding with a graduation ceremony:

  1. Session 1 – Minnesota Pork Office (Mankato, MN) – July 8-9, 2025
  2. Session 2 – National Pork Board/National Pork Producers Council Offices (Des Moines, IA) – December 1-3, 2025
  3. Session 3 – Minnesota Pork Producers Association Day on the Hill (St. Paul, MN) – March 10-11, 2026
  4. Session 4 – Content decided by Activate class – April 1-2, 2026
  5. Session 5 – Content decided by Activate class – July 20-23, 2026
  6. Session 6 – Washington D.C. – December 7-10, 2026
  7. Graduation – Minnesota Pork Congress (Mankato, MN) – February 8, 2027

Activate Class 1

Front row, left to right:
Scott Walter (Wakefield Pork, New Ulm); Brad Kluver (Dutch Creek Farms, Lakeville); Olivia Wolle (Wolle Pork, St. James); Sydney Rosenstengel (Schwartz Farms, Comfrey); Jayme Enamorado (Christensen Farms, New Ulm); Travis Brown (Brookfield Pork/Legacy Ag, Prinsburg).

Back row, left to right:
Erin Krug (Anderson Farms, Belgrade); Logan Tesch (New Fashion Pork, Round Lake); Jordan Wiesen (Boerboom Ag Resources, Hendricks); Lance Goettl (TLP of Lake Crystal LLC, Lake Crystal); Guilherme Preis (Topigs Norsvin, Bloomington); Dusty Compart (Compeer Financial, Nicollet).

Brad Kluver

Dutch Creek Farms, Lakeville

Dusty Compart

Compeer Financial, Nicollet

Erin Krug

Anderson Farms, Belgrade

Guilherme Preis

Topigs Norsvin, Bloomington

Jayme Enamorado

Christensen Farms, New Ulm

Jordan Wiesen

Boerboom Ag Resources, Hendricks

Lance Goettl

TLP of Lake Crystal LLC, Lake Crystal

Logan Tesch

New Fashion Pork, Round Lake

Olivia Wolle

Wolle Pork, St. James

Scott Walter

Wakefield Pork, New Ulm

Sydney Rosenstengel

Schwartz Farms, Comfrey

Travis Brown

Brookfield Pork/Legacy Ag, Prinsburg

Learn More About Activate

Kate Maddock

Director of Farmer Outreach 

507-901-0993

kate@mnpork.com

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About Brad

Brad grew up on a family farm just outside of Northfield, MN and still actively farms there alongside his parents, brother, and family. Growing up they had indoor and outdoor lots, farrowed continuous flow with around 120 sows and sold feeder pigs each week. Now their farm operates as more wean to finish production and they own shares in some sow farms. He has a bachelor's and master’s degree in education and spent four years teaching first grade and kindergarten before getting back into agriculture full time. For the past eight years he has worked in swine nutrition and feed sales through a coop in Southern Minnesota.

About Dusty

Dusty is both a current Nicollet County pork producer and a team member at Compeer Financial. Dusty grew up on his Family's farm near Nicollet MN and his passion for the Swine Industry led him to obtain a degree in Agriculture from SDSU. Currently, Dusty is a Swine Lending Specialist at Compeer Financial. In this role, he helps support MN Pork Producers by providing financing tools and his perspective to their operation.

About Erin

Erin is a 5th generation farmer from central Minnesota. After getting her degree in Animal Science from North Dakota State University and furthering her work experience she returned home to her family’s diversified farming business. Her family owns a farrow-to-finish hog operation, beef cattle feedlot and raises corn, sugar beets and edible kidney beans. As a farmer she has been involved in the pork industry for many years and is passionate that this industry remains strong, creates opportunities and stands with farmers for many generations to come.

About Guilherme

Guilherme Preis, DVM, PhD, is a veterinarian-epidemiologist specializing in swine health and productivity. Raised in a pork-producing family in Brazil, he earned his DVM and worked nearly five years for a major integrator before relocating to the U.S. in 2018 to pursue a PhD in Veterinary Medicine at the University of Minnesota. As Product Performance Manager at Topigs Norsvin, he supports statistical analysis, product benchmarking, and research initiatives to help pork producers improve key performance indicators.

About Jayme

Jayme is the Training and Development Supervisor at Christensen Farms, specializing in technical upskilling and leadership development for internal teams. Since 2022, she has led the design and implementation of training programs that equip employees with the skills needed to grow into technical and supervisory roles. Her work focuses on building structured pathways for advancement, aligning workforce capabilities with operational goals, and strengthening the internal talent pipeline across all levels of pork production.

About Jordan

Jordan grew up on a farm in Lincoln County, Minnesota. He and his wife Ashley are now the third generation on that family farm. Along with their two kids, they raise cattle, row crops, and alfalfa. Upon graduating from South Dakota State, he began working at Boerboom Ag Resources as a caretaker and hauling feeder pigs. Over the years, he has taken on several roles for the business such as a grow/finish service manager. In Jordan's current role, he directly manages the marketing, pig flow, and trucking logistics for Boerboom Ag. When he's not at work Jordan enjoys working with his cattle, going to sporting events, and chasing his kids around the farm.

About Lance

Lance is a third-generation crop farmer and first-generation hog producer who entered the livestock side of agriculture in 2007 with an entrepreneurial spirit and a commitment to long-term sustainability. Starting with a modest operation, Lance has steadily expanded his business and today manages a thriving hog operation with 5,500 sows. His growth reflects not only his dedication and work ethic, but also his ability to innovate and adapt within a constantly evolving industry. In 2012, Lance established a feed mill to create a more efficient, vertically integrated system that strengthened biosecurity and ensured a consistent feed source. His success is rooted in strong family involvement, with his wife and father playing key roles on the farm, and in the early support of landlords, mentors, and industry partners. Today, Lance is a dedicated advocate for agriculture and works to support the next generation of producers through mentorship and leadership.

About Logan

Logan grew up on a diversified farming operation with hogs, cattle, corn & soybeans in Henderson, MN. In college he was active in the SDSU Swine Club & Swine Unit. He was the MN Pork Ambassador from ‘19-’20. After graduation he started working for New Fashion Pork as a Feedmill Trainee, and within a year he was promoted to manager of their feed mill in Round Lake, MN. In the mill, Logan oversees the manufacture & delivery of over 3,000 tons of feed a week.

About Olivia

Olivia grew up on a small farm near St. James, MN. While in college she interned for a local Minnesota pork integrator where her passion for the industry began. During Olivia’s career she has held multiple positions including Wean to Finish Herd Technician, Animal Welfare Specialist, and most recently joining her husband and his family on their farm where they raise corn, soybeans, and hogs. Olivia stays involved in her community by volunteering for 4-H and various board positions.

About Scott

Scott grew up on a crop and cattle farm in Sleepy Eye, Mn. After graduating from Sleepy Eye High School, Scott went straight into farming raising dairy cattle and working on a dairy by Leavenworth, MN. In 2017 start his career at Wakefield Pork as a herdsmen and since advanced into the role as a Sow Farm Manager. From 2018-2024 Scott served on the Nicollet County Pork Producers Board. Serving 2 years as Vice-president and 2 years as President. Scott has also served on the Redwood Area Cattlemen’s Board. Scott currently resides in New Ulm, with his wife Emily and two daughters Wynn, and Ruby.

About Sydney

Sydney is a Production Technology Specialist at Schwartz Farms, a family-owned, MN based pork producer. She holds a B.S. and M.S. in Agricultural Engineering from Iowa State University where she focused her studies on commercial swine facilities and ventilation systems. Passionate about the future of agriculture, Sydney brings a practical and innovative approach to utilizing and advancing production technologies. She is also an active member of the Brown County Pork Producers Board, contributing to local industry support and advocacy.

About Travis

Travis is the Director of Operations for Brookfield Pork and Legacy Ag, a progressive, integrated pork production company. A first-generation pork producer, he holds dual degrees in Livestock & Poultry Management and Agribusiness Management from North Carolina State University. Travis brings over a decade of leadership experience across multiple production systems, including roles with Murphy-Brown, HD3 Farms, Professional Swine Management, and Prestage Farms. Known for his focus on operational excellence and strategic growth, he now oversees more than 9,000 sows and expanding partnerships across company-owned and managed service partnerships. As a first-generation professional in agriculture, he brings fresh perspective, tireless energy, and a deep respect for the land and animals under his care. Travis is driven by a passion for innovation, performance, and building a strong future for the swine industry.