Growing up in a rural area in Southern Minnesota I had little interest in matters of international importance. That changed when I enrolled at the University of Minnesota. Becoming involved in campus activities, I met many of the foreign students participating in the MAST program at the U of M. Many quickly become good friends encouraging me to take advantage of the MAST program in Germany. I was assigned to a farm in northern Germany . The host farmer, a MAST participant himself, recognized the value of the exchange program. That experience, studying 3 months of intensive German in Cologne, and participating in a training program at a creamery in Munich, all arranged by the German institute in charge of the exchange program, set the stage for a highly rewarding career representing US agriculture overseas.
Upon returning to the U of M, I obtained a Master’s degree in Public Administration, and I was offered a position with the Foreign Agriculture Service (FAS) of USDA. That led to serving as USDA on-site representative at 6 Embassies overseas. After retirement from FAS I served as the Regional Director for the American Soybean Association responsible for Western Europe and North Africa. I also undertook project work with a Private Voluntary Organization, dedicated to food aid in Moldova and several African countries.
A fun memory with a fellow exchange student involved the purchase of a very old (1952) Mercedes Benz, whose top speed was about 65mph. Imagine that when trying to pass slower vehicles on the German Autobahn! The Germans referred to the car, with a damaged front fender, as a “Gangster Wagon”. I was even stopped by the police since Germans place great value on the appearance of their cars.
Most meaningful to me were the close personal relationships I developed while in the MAST Program and subsequent professional career. It was also due to the MAST program that i met my wife of 57 years, and we had 2 daughters born overseas.
I was greatly honored to receive the JO Christianson International Agriculture Award in 1999 for “ professional achievements in the field of agriculture which manifested the excellence of the MAST program envisioned by Dr. J.O. Christianson.”
