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Award presented at 20th annual Agriculture Luncheon

The Rognes family on Tuesday was named the 2025 Farm Family of the Year at the 20th annual Albert Lea-Freeborn County Chamber of Commerce Agriculture Luncheon.

The Glenville family consists of Paul and Becky Rognes and their two adult daughters, Lindsey and Leah Rognes.

Christy Kallevig, who presented the award, said the Rognes family was selected for the recognition for their involvement in their community, which includes involvement in the LIFE Center of Freeborn County and organizing the local Night to Shine dance. The family is also active in their church and a part of multiple environmental organizations.

While receiving the award, Paul said, looking out at the other Farm Families of the Year present, he knew he was “in good company.” Included among them was the first winner, Odean Jerdee.

The guest speaker of the luncheon was Brian Buhr, dean and director of the College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences (CFANS) and the Minnesota Agricultural Experiment Station at the University of Minnesota. Buhr is also a professor of applied economics and has received the Outstanding Policy Contribution Award from the American Agricultural Economics Association, the University of Minnesota College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences’ Distinguished Teaching Award, and the CFANS Distinguished Faculty Award, according to a press release.

Buhr’s speech centered around the increasing challenges in the agricultural sector and the need for creative solutions to continue the critical work of providing food for people.

Bringing increased technology to the world of agriculture is one of the things Buhr said he and his colleagues at CFANS work on every day.

Buhr said he had the idea to ask the artificial intelligence chatbot, ChatGPT, if there was a way to meet the needs of feeding an increasing population of people while reducing agriculture’s environmental impact.

ChatGPT then gave him a few possible solutions including the use of precision agriculture, the increase of plant-based proteins and the development of alternative fertilizer options.

During his speech, Buhr also highlighted the decrease in land available for agriculture over the last 40 years due to many different factors such as housing, roadways and construction development. It accumulates to hundreds of acres of land that cannot be used to grow crops. This presents another challenge to Minnesota farmers.

Buhr said as researchers continue to develop solutions, the task of bringing these solutions from the lab to the farm is still something that needs consideration.

“It’s the intersection of all these things,” Buhr said. “How do we conserve and maintain … our soils? How are we improving water quality and managing water systems?”