Farmer reaps benefits from leadership programs

WATERMAN, Ill. — Participating in leadership programs provides a variety of opportunities for farmers that include improving communication skills, learning new farming techniques and enhancing their business plans.

Ryan Frieders, who grows corn and soybeans on his farm near Waterman in northern Illinois, has completed several leadership programs and currently serves as the District 1 director of the Illinois Soybean Association and is a member of the American Soybean Association board of directors.

Texas A&M’s TEPAP, or The Executive Program for Agricultural Producers, is a two-year commitment.

“This program is for farmers who are interested in maximizing their business decisions and long-term strategy skills,” said Frieders, who completed it in 2020.

“I went to Texas for one week each year to do in-person training, and they bring in professional speakers,” he said. “There is a substantial amount of work that you do on your own throughout the year to prepare for the sessions.”

Through this program, Frieders learned skills such as how to find the right employees, how to develop a good succession plan and how to find new markets and be aware of new trends.

“Part of doing any program like that is the networking,” he said. “I met hay farmers from Canada, and there was a cattle farmer in my class from Calgary.”

Farmers from all over the United States were in the class, including those who raise wheat, cotton and rice.

“It was a really neat combination of similar-minded, forward-thinking farmers,” Frieders said.

Learning about succession planning and long-term business planning at this leadership program has helped Frieders’ family farming operation.

“I’m a seventh-generation farmer, and I have worked with my grandpa, my parents, and I have kids that I want to be able to farm,” he said.

“In those seven generations, the structure of the farm business has changed, and giving future generations the opportunity to be able to afford to farm has changed, as well,” Frieders said.

“We learned about using trusts for the farmland in the right way,” the farmer noted.

“And how to start to transition the business ownership before death,” he said. “That is something people did not talk about before. You farmed until you died and then the next generation took over, but that doesn’t really work anymore.”

During the Illinois Agricultural Leadership Foundation’s Ag Leadership Program, Frieders traveled to Poland, Ukraine and the Czech Republic.

“We learned how farming is different in different areas of the world,” the farmer said.

“It was neat to be able to see the different styles of farm ownership whether it was the communist style of farming in the Ukraine or the very traditional style of farming in Poland where they had small farms of 10 to 15 hectares,” he said.

Some of these farms were growing specialty crops, and some were selling their items directly to consumers.

“The bits and pieces that you learn are definitely the benefit of being a participant,” Frieders said. “You are also sharing because you can’t just go and be a consumer of other people’s ideas; you have to be a participant.”

During the Illinois leadership program, Frieders learned about different communication skills and styles and how to be the best communicator he can be.

“People communicate and listen differently, so you need to be open to different communication styles,” he said.

“Try to be aware of the situation you are in so that you can have conversations and take advantage of the time that you have together,” he advised.

Serving as a director for both the state and national soybean groups has given Frieders the opportunity to participate in several additional leadership programs — including Syngenta’s Leadership At Its Best, the ASA-Corteva Young Leader Program and Illinois SoyLeader.

“There are all kinds of opportunities for people to take advantage of when they get involved with commodity organizations, the Farm Bureau or agricultural professional organizations,” he said.

Leadership programs are available to farmers of all ages. The ISA offers a 20 Under 40 program that is open to producers under 40 years of age.

“I do not think you can be too young to start making yourself a better leader or communicator,” Frieders said.

“I think it is important to keep people engaged whether they go directly to the farm after high school or they go to a junior college, vocational school or a university,” said Frieders, who graduated from North Central College with a degree in finance and accounting and completed his master’s degree in crop science from the University of Illinois.

“We have to continually engage with young people so that they know what opportunities are available,” he said. “If they do not know what they are missing, they will never realize it.”

Frieders encourages all people to get involved when they are given an opportunity to participate in a leadership program.

“Don’t put yourself in a box and think that you are not a good leader or communicator and that you don’t farm enough acres,” the farmer said.

“People will learn from your experiences and you will learn from them,” Frieders said.

“We need all different types of leaders,” he said. “I guarantee there is something that you know that is valuable to other people and that you can share, to make our state better.”