Gary Wertish
Gary Wertish was elected Minnesota Farmers Union President in a special election in January 2017. Gary and his wife, Jeanne, have four children and four grandchildren. Gary ran a diversified…
Read MoreAnne Schwagerl
Anne Schwagerl was elected as the MFU State Vice President in 2021, after serving as the MFU State Secretary for five years. She and her husband, Peter, own and operate…
Read MoreAriel Kagan
Ariel Kagan joined the MFU team as the Climate and Working Lands Program Director in February 2023. Her background is in agricultural economics and policy, and she’s spent her career…
Read MoreClaudine Arndt
Claudine Arndt began her adventures with MFU in 2011, starting part-time and eventually growing into her role as the Membership and Minnesota Cooks™ Director. Having descended from a long line…
Read MoreDavid Endicott
Dave comes to MFU after serving 30 years as a teacher, coach and administrator at the K-12 and college levels. He lives in Jenkins with his wife, Esther, on her…
Read MoreGail Donkers
Gail Donkers and her husband, Jim, have three children and farm with their extended family in Faribault where they raise corn, soybeans, alfalfa, dairy steers, finishing hogs and sheep. Gail’s…
Read MoreGlen Schmidt
Glen grew up on a dairy farm near Little Falls, Minn., and currently resides in St. Paul. He is a graduate of Bemidji State University with a degree in mass…
Read MoreJanet Kubat
Janet Kubat joined the staff as Communications Director in June 2021. She manages print publications for MFU, works with staff to develop promotional plans and works to make sure the…
Read MoreJeff Diamond
Jeff is excited to join Minnesota Farmers Union as the Operations Coordinator. In this role, he looks forward to supporting members in any way possible, as well as advancing the…
Read MoreJo Schwake
JoEllen (Jo) Schwake, Accounting. Jo was raised on a dairy farm in Kasson-Mantorville in Dodge County, Minn., and participated in 4-H growing up. Before settling into a career in bookkeeping…
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