6^th Annual Nilsestuen Legacy Event addresses leadership in uncertain ag economy

March 20, 2017--The 6th annual Rod Nilsestuen Legacy Event will address "Leadership in an Uncertain Agricultural Economy" presented by Douglas Wilson, CEO of Cooperative Resources International (CRI) on Monday, March 27, at 2 p.m. in the Kinnickinnic Theater in the University Center at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls. The event is free and open to the public.

Wilson has been a leader in the agriculture industry for over 46 years. CRI is a holding cooperative with subsidiaries dedicated to cattle genetics and reproductive service (Genex), agricultural testing (AgSource Cooperative Services) and advanced assisted reproduction technologies and biotechnology (MOFA Global). Wilson has received several awards and recognitions in the agricultural field, among them the UW-River Falls Distinguished Agriculturalist Award.

Nilsestuen, who earned his undergraduate degree at UW-River Falls, was the Wisconsin Secretary of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection at the time of his death in July 2010. He is remembered as a proud steward of sustainable agriculture and a leader in the national cooperative movement who strove to balance the needs of sustainable land use with the maximization of agricultural production. Nilsestuen worked to find common ground on topics like the power of cooperatives, farmland conservation, the future of rural America and the increased pressure on agriculture to feed the world.

The Rod Nilsestuen Fund was established by friends, family, and colleagues, and several land conservation and cooperative organizations, and is part of the Ralph K. Morris Foundation, an organization that shares Nilsestuen's dedication to cooperatives and leadership development.

For more information, email vanessa.luther@uwrf.edu or call 715-425-4383.