The time has come to cast your vote for the 2025 Minnesota Wheat Research & Promotion Council (MWRPC) Board of Directors election. The MWRPC board is made up of nine members who are elected to direct Minnesota wheat checkoff dollars for wheat promotion and research activities.   

The state is divided into three areas with representation in each. Five board members represent Area 1; Area 2, three board members; and Area 3 has one board member. This year, two seats from Area 1 and one seat from Area 2 are up for election. On the ballot, which will be mailed out to wheat producers on March 20, are three new names to MWRPC’s board of directors: Jeffrey Larson, Sydney Balstad and Dalton Harris.  

Let’s get to know the candidates!  

Jeffrey Larson – Area 1 

Wheat is Jeffrey Larson’s specialty on his farm that he operates in the Red River Valley alongside his brother and cousin. He’s in charge of preparing, planting, harvesting and marketing the wheat crop and by putting his name on the ballot for MWRPC, he also hopes to help wisely dedicate wheat checkoff funding toward research and promotion.  

“One of my goals if elected is to help allocate the wheat checkoff funds in Minnesota to further the work the University of Minnesota does on our behalf and to promote the quality product we raise right here in the Red River Valley,” said Larson. 

Larson farms in the region between East Grand Forks and Warren. Along with wheat, they grow sugarbeets, corn and soybeans. He first became interested in being more involved with Minnesota Wheat after attending a bus trip that the Minnesota Association of Wheat Growers organized to the state Capitol a few years ago, which allowed him to connect with farmers involved in the organization.  

“I was impressed with them and what they do,” he said, “and it seemed like a group that I wanted to be a part of.”  

One of Larson’s goals is to help make wheat become a stable part of the crop rotation, continue research on pests and other agronomic challenges and strengthen and expand current market opportunities. 

“I think we all have a common goal, and I look forward to learning from others and their expertise,” he said.  

Larson has farmed full time with his family since graduating from North Dakota State University in 2007 and has a wife and three kids, ages 12, nine and five. He takes full advantage of the winter months to enjoy ice fishing, curling and attending hockey games.  

Sydney Balstad – Area 1

Following her studies at North Dakota State University, where she graduated with a degree in management information systems and a minor in general agriculture, Sydney Balstad had a brief stint in the crop insurance world before returning to work at the family farm near Fosston.  

” I cam to the conclusion that if I was going to get into farming that I needed to do it now,” Balstad said, “so I made that transition this past year and so far, everything has gone well.”  

Alongside her dad and her two uncles, Sydney farms a diverse crop rotation of corn, wheat, soybeans, dry beans, peas, sugarbeets and potatoes. Her dad, Scott Balstad, is a member of the Minnesota Wheat Research Committee, which helped jump-start Sydney’s interest in wheat research and led to her running for MWRPC. 

“I’ve went along to the Prairie Grains Conference the past couple years and I really enjoyed learning more about the research side of things,” said Balstad. “Specifically, how we can improve wheat and soybean production in our area through public research.” 

If elected, Balstad looks forward to taking a deep dive into some of the ongoing wheat research projects and getting to know more of the farmers in the area. When not farming, she enjoys baking, traveling and spending even more quality time with her family.  

Dalton Harris – Area 2 

For over a century, the Harris family has farmed alongside the Buffalo River near Georgetown, Minn., only a couple of miles from where the Buffalo meets the Red River. Farming alongside his father, Dalton Harris began farming full-time following college at North Dakota State University and two years as an ag teacher. Together they farm wheat, soybeans and sugarbeets. Harris added that he appreciates wheat not just for its value in the rotation for sugarbeets, but also its rich history in the valley.  

“It’s the most natural of the crops we grow, and it’s been grown here since the settlers first moved here and started farming back in the day,” Harris said. 

Harris notes that what he loves most about farming is the reward for the hard work that he’s involved with.  

“During the farming season, I get to see every sunrise in the morning and every sunset in the evening.” 

And while Harris has spent most of his life on the production end of farming, he’s running for the Council to gain an even better understanding of the wheat industry, including research and promotion.  

“A lot of my mentors over the year, such as my dad, my grandpa and my high school ag teacher, all taught me that if you care about something, you should learn more about it,” he said, “and the best way to do that is to get involved.”