Community involvement, global reach

RIDGEWAY — Instead of merely being drawn back into agriculture, the family of Glen and Melinda Groth has been dedicated to giving back to their community, which is one of the reasons they were named 2026 Winona County Farm Family of the Year.

“We were really humbled and honored to be chosen,” Melinda said. “It’s quite meaningful to be thought of when people are deciding these awards, and it was a very, very nice surprise.”

Glen and Melinda were raised on farms in neighboring counties — Melinda in Fillmore County and Glen in Winona County — and were both active members of their local FFA chapters, which were part of the same region; Glen was even elected FFA Region 8 president while in high school.

However, he and Melinda did not meet until after they had both graduated from college. Glen had returned to his family’s dairy farm in Ridgeway, and Melinda had spent several years working at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester before returning to agriculture in Fillmore County, when they were set up for a date by a mutual friend.

The Groths married in 2014 and settled on Glen’s family farm, merging their farming operations and raising their three daughters — Ellery, Addison and Kendal. They discontinued the dairy side of the farm in 2019, and seeing more opportunity in crops, they expanded their cropland acreage; today, they grow corn, soybeans, hay and the occasional small grains or canning crops.

“We still raise replacement heifers,” Melinda said. “We still kept a couple of our milk cows; some neighboring farms have them for us, and our kids are currently in 4-H, showing the offspring of those dairy cows.”

Glen also provides custom hay services, including bale wrapping, and he and Melinda operate a Mustang Seeds dealership together.

The Groths are members of the Minnesota Farm Bureau, the Minnesota Soybean Growers Association, the Minnesota Corn Growers Association and the Winona FFA Alumni. Glen is a council member at Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church in Ridgeway. Melinda leads the Pleasant Busy Bees 4-H Club; serves as secretary for Ridgeway Parents and Community, which supports Ridgeway Community School; and serves as an election judge. She was also one of the founding members of the American Farm Bureau’s Promotion and Engagement Committee in 2015.

“I was on the Minnesota Farm Bureau Promotion and Education Committee,” Melinda said. “At that time, they were looking at founding a national committee with the seven states that currently had state P&E committees, and I was appointed to represent Minnesota. That effort has gained momentum, and now, there are 20 states that have P&E committees. The program is doing great work at the national level and is now known as the American Farm Bureau Promotion and Engagement Committee.”

Previously, Melinda has served on the Winona County Extension Committee, and she is a former officer on the Sumner Township Board.

“Glen and I both believe that a strong rural community is vital,” Melinda said. “We know that volunteering and giving back is what makes a strong community happen. We find that volunteering where we can and when we can is something we’re willing to donate our time and efforts to.”

Glen is on the Minnesota Soybean Research & Promotion Council, chairs the Northern Soy Marketing Board and is president of the Winona County Farm Bureau.

“In his roles with Minnesota Soybean, he has really become an expert in export trade issues,” Melinda said. “He has gone on several trade missions overseas in his tenure with them, and we’ve also hosted several trade missions at our farm, as well as hosting different political representatives and tours. It’s really important to have an open farm, and we’re always willing to discuss what we’re doing and what we see as important in agriculture with people who are curious or might be making policy decisions.”

Volunteerism and community involvement are crucial to the Groth family, and with the Winona County Farm Family of the Year Award, they hope to encourage others to get involved as well.

“The need for volunteers is huge,” Melinda said. “If there is something you’re interested in, … I would really encourage people to just reach out and say, ‘Hey, I’d like to help,’ and offer to volunteer. Oftentimes, those groups are looking for someone just like you who’s willing to donate a little of their time or a little of their expertise, and you can be a part of making that program or your community even stronger.”