GROWMARK Honors Ag Leaders
Three individuals were honored with “Friend of GROWMARK”
awards. Dr. Arley Larson, Northwest Missouri State
University; Steve Morain, Iowa Farm Bureau Federation; and
Dr. Dixie Mills, Illinois State University, were recognized
at the GROWMARK annual meeting in Chicago.
“The award is given to individuals and organizations for
their contributions to the well-being of cooperatives or
other facets of agriculture,” said Jim Hoyt, GROWMARK vice
president of strategic planning and corporate services.
Larson is chair of the Department of Agriculture at
Northwest Missouri State University. He works closely with
GROWMARK staff to identify and place students in internships
and full-time positions. Larson is known as an avid
supporter of GROWMARK on campus and off, and for
“consistently steering very qualified candidates” toward
GROWMARK.
Morain is retired Iowa Farm Bureau Federation general
counsel. He and his staff worked closely with GROWMARK and
Iowa region staff on a variety of legal issues, including
acquisitions, mergers, and other dealings. His work helped
show GROWMARK and Farm Bureau as a unified force, meeting
the needs of farmer-members and serving the interests of
Iowa agriculture.
Mills is Dean Emerita, College of Business, Illinois
State University. She encouraged GROWMARK staff
participation in the College of Business Advisory Council,
which launched relationships that provided support to
develop numerous GROWMARK initiatives. She was a supporter
of the GROWMARK internship program and helped solidify
GROWMARK’s role as an employer of ISU graduates and as a
solid corporate citizen in Bloomington and the state of
Illinois.
The Friend of GROWMARK award was established in 1989 to
recognize outstanding leadership and commitment to
agriculture, and friendship to the GROWMARK System. Since
its inception, more than 25 individuals and organizations
have been honored.
