My name is Mike Lefever. I am running for the U.S. Grains and BioProducts Council Director at Large positions and asking for your vote at the USGBC Board of Director elections on July 31, 2026.
I have been engaged with USGBC for the last 7 years and currently serve as Vice-Leader of the Asia Team, where I have been actively engaged in strengthening international relationships and expanding market opportunities. I also serve on the Board of Directors for First FarmBank and the Colorado Corn Growers Association and bring additional leadership experience from my two terms as President of the Colorado Corn Promotion Council and member of the Board of Directors for the National Corn Growers Association.
While there are countless issue impacting American agriculture and global trade, to improve farm dynamics in the near and long-team, my focus as a director will be on these priorities:
A little about who I am: I farm in northeast Colorado and have spent my entire life in production agriculture where I farmed 900 acres of flood irrigated ground raising corn, malt barley, wheat and alfalfa. I earned a degree in finance from Pacific States University and two associate degrees in fire science and fire prevention from Amies Community College. In addition to farming, I served for 36 years with the Longmont Fire Department. This off-farm income played an important role in supporting and building my farming operation. More importantly, this tenure as a Lieutenant provided valuable experience in decision making, risk management, and most importantly, leadership. Lastly, I am very active in the All-American Beef Battalion, a non-profit that serves steak dinners to our military when they deploy and return home, as well as our wounded warriors. We travel border to border, coast to coast and have served over 500,000 steaks so far!
My experiences with the Colorado Corn Promotion Council, the NCGA Board of Directors, and the U.S. Grains and BioProducts Council Advisory Teams—both the Western Hemisphere and Southeast Asia—along with visiting with many of you on your farms across the nation, have expanded my understanding of domestic markets and global trade which I can utilize as a director. Looking ahead, it is critical that we capitalize on our successes and build on our momentum by strengthening relationships, accurately assessing market potential, and capturing foreign markets.
I also bring a valuable perspective from outside of agriculture through my position on the board of First FarmBank. In this role, I am on the front lines of seeing and understanding the agricultural challenges faced by producers across the six states we have customers—Colorado, Kansas, Iowa, Nebraska, Texas, and South Dakota. This experience has strengthened my skills in negotiation, problem solving, networking, profitability and organizational effectiveness.
To ensure the viability of farms in America, we must continue to increase our presence in emerging markets while enhancing international alignment across stakeholders. These efforts present significant opportunities for producers, processors, and industry partners.
American agriculture also faces the challenge of a rapidly changing and dynamic global trade order. Developing strong, long-term strategies is more important than ever, given the rapid pace of technological advancement, increasing global competition and rapidly changing global dynamics.
As a director of the USGBC, I promise to be an active and engaged member of the Board and I am committed to listening to our Advisory Teams and all stakeholders to help guide the organization in a thoughtful, pragmatic way that brings success from abroad home to our farms. I believe the Board needs to be a balanced group of individuals—representing both large and small stakeholders—who value diverse perspectives and work together to create effective, sustainable strategies for both the near and long term.
Like all of you, I have a deep passion for this industry and for promoting U.S. grains, ethanol, and their co-products whenever or wherever the opportunity arises. I genuinely believe in the mission of the Council and will continue to dedicate my time and experience to developing markets, enabling trade, and improving lives both at home and abroad.
Thank you for taking the time and service to this organization. I truly appreciate all you do as delegates and as members of our agricultural community. I look forward to seeing many of you and once again ask for your vote in the Board of Director elections at our upcoming meeting in Milwaukee.
Best regards,
Mike Lefever
USGBC Director-at-Large Candidate
