The 2026-27 class of the MABA Leadership Program group spent two days in Lansing last Tuesday and Wednesday, meeting with the professionals who help shape food and agriculture policy at the state level. This year’s group includes Katie Derks of Michigan Agricultural Commodities, Nathan Hart of Nutrien Ag Solutions, Nicholas Kloosterman and Lisa Roelofs of ZFS, and Ryan Hegenauer and Adam Kern of Star of the West. The Lansing portion of the program is designed to give participants a snapshot of the breadth of experts working on agriculture in state government and around it. Over the two days, the group met with farm group leaders and member company state affairs staff, representatives of organizations including The Nature Conservancy and the Michigan Farmers Market Association, as well as leadership of Michigan State University and the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development. “A wide range of people from all sectors work on topics affecting Michigan’s second largest economic engine,” said MABA President Chuck Lippstreu. “This is an outstanding group of emerging leaders in our industry, so it is important for us to help showcase the many voices and perspectives that come together on ag issues in Lansing. We appreciate our colleagues for taking time to meet with agribusiness leaders who represent the future of our industry.” The following organizations presented as part of the two-day program: Michigan Pork Producers Association Michigan Corn Michigan Farm Bureau GreenStone Farm Credit Services Michigan Farmers Market Association McAlvey Merchant & Associates Michigan Department of Agriculture & Rural Development Michigan State University College of Agriculture and Natural Resources Helena Agri-Enterprises The Nature Conservancy in Michigan The MABA Leadership Program runs for a full year and is open to staff from MABA member companies. Participants spend the year building a working understanding of the policy landscape their companies operate in, along with relationships across the industry. The group will reconvene early next year for the Washington, D.C. portion of the program. #
