Minnesota dairy farmer Glen Schroeder has been honored as the 2014 recipient of the Richard E. Lyng Award for his extensive contributions and distinguished service to dairy promotion. The award was handed out at the Joint National Dairy Board/National Milk Producers Federation/United Dairy Industry Association (UDIA) Annual Meeting in Grapevine, Texas.
“Glen Schroeder served as a founding farmer for dairy promotion,” said Kenton Holle, North Dakota dairy farmer and outgoing chairman of the NDB. Glen dedicated more than 50 years to promoting America’s dairy farmers and the dairy industry, starting with his local dairy promotion organization, Houston County (Minnesota) American Dairy Association in 1952.
From there, Schroeder went on to state and national dairy promotion organizations, serving on the board of the Minnesota Dairy Promotion Council in 1980, where he helped guide successful state-wide promotion efforts that made a significant impact within the Midwest and nationally.
Schroeder also helped lead efforts to create checkoff efficiencies, making dairy farmer funds work harder and smarter. He served on committees that merged state and regional organizations to create the Midwest Dairy Association. He also served on the boards of NDB and UDIA, helping guide the formation of Dairy Management Inc. in 1995 that helped realize more than $20 million in farmer efficiencies by coordinating programs and eliminating duplication.
The award is named for former U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Richard E. Lyng, who played a critical role in implementing policies that led to the establishment of the NDB more than 30 years ago. The Lyng Award also includes $2,500 donated equally among the University of Minnesota (St. Paul) and Ridgewater Community College in Willmar, Minnesota, in Schroeder’s name.