Director Spotlight: Jeff Lakner

Jeff Lakner, with his wife Myrna and son Drew, operate Lakner Farms LLC, a diversified grain and livestock farm north of Wessington, South Dakota. Jeff received his Bachelor of Science in Agribusiness from South Dakota State University and has four adult children. 

Before joining Agtegra’s board of directors in 2008, Jeff had previously served on South Dakota Wheat Growers’ board in 2005. He also served on Land O’Lakes’ board of directors from 2014-2021, in addition to sitting on several regional and national advisory boards related to food and agriculture. Through his involvement on Agtegra’s board, he has also found that several business protocols in the grain and agronomy businesses are a good fit for his farm operation. 

“Agtegra is viewed as an industry leader in many areas of agriculture,” states Jeff. “The size and scale of our cooperative creates access to many markets for grain, and seed and agronomy inputs on behalf of our member-owners.”  

Food and agriculture are vital to everyone, which is why Jeff finds value in being in an occupation that makes a difference in every person’s life. For him, the cooperative system is an extension of how farmers show up in the marketplace.  

“I believe in the adage: if you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together,” says Jeff. 

Agtegra's board and leadership team work to be an advocate for agriculture in local, regional and national issues, which is one of the benefits of belonging to a strong, local cooperative. From Jeff’s perspective, working with the professionals within Agtegra’s leadership has been enjoyable and educational.  

“Government policy is key for our co-op as it grows,” explains Jeff. “Our message and impact in food and agriculture is growing, and it’s important to keep lawmakers current on global as well as local issues.”