Top Producer Summit

Minnesota Family Named Farm Journal’s Top Producer of the Year

Lenexa, Kan. (February 24, 2022) — The Todd and Louise Malecha family are the 2022 winners of Farm Journal’s annual Top Producer of the Year award. Their operation, Malecha Enterprises, is based in Villard, Minn., and includes 1,200 milk cows and 1,100 replacement heifers as well as 2,500 acres of diverse crop and forage production. The award was presented during Farm Journal’s Top Producer Summit, held from Feb. 14-16 in Nashville, Tenn.

“The Malechas stay focused on goals and values, working with a stable of professionals,” said Sara Schafer, editor of Top Producer magazine. “They set one-, three- and 10-year goals, which they evaluate quarterly based on the needs of their businesses.”

In addition to the dairy operation, the farm includes production of alfalfa, corn, silage, soybeans and hay. They also do custom work and own and operate a gravel pit. Todd and Louise have seven children, ages 18 to 31. Five of their children and two daughters-in-law are members of the Malecha Enterprises team. Learn more about Malecha Enterprises.

Also honored as finalists for the Top Producer of the Year award were Joe Nichols of Seven Springs Farm, Cadiz, Ky., and Christopher and Nate Riggers of Clearwater Farms, Nezperce, Idaho.

Sponsored by BASF and Case IH, the Top Producer of the Year award is in its 22nd year and represents the best in the business of farming. Three finalists are chosen from numerous applications by a panel of judges based on entrepreneurial originality, financial and business progress and industry and community leadership. The three finalists received all-expense-paid trips to attend the Top Producer Summit, as well as sessions with a CEO coach, courtesy of BASF, as well as a Case IH tractor of their choice for 150 hours of use on their farm, courtesy of Case IH. The winner also receives one year of regenerative agriculture consulting for 1,000 acres with Continuum Ag, courtesy of Rabo AgriFinance.

The in-person Top Producer Summit was Feb. 14-16 in Nashville, Tenn., with an online program offered Feb. 23-25. In conjunction, Trust In Food, a Farm Journal initiative, hosted its annual Trust In Food Symposium. In both formats, the event provided nearly 1,000 attendees from the United States and Canada with more than 40 educational sessions to boost their money, marketing and management skills.

Presenting sponsors included BASF, Beck’s Hybrids, Case IH, Pioneer and Rabo AgriFinance. Supporting sponsors included Belchim, Channel, CLA, Corteva, EnviroKure, IOM Grain, LLC, Kcoe Isom, Lincoln Financial Network, National Corn Growers Association, New Holland and Pivot Bio. Learn more about Top Producer Summit at TPSummit.com.

Todd and Louise Malecha, Villard, Minn., were honored as the 2022 Top Producer of the Year at the 2022 Top Producer Summit in Nashville, Tenn. Nearly 1,000 attendees participated in the event, which featured more than 40 education and networking sessions for America’s top farmers and ranchers.

About Farm Journal

Farm Journal Media is the nation’s leading business information and media company serving the agricultural market. Started 145 years ago with the preeminent Farm Journal magazine, the company serves the row crop, livestock, produce and retail sectors through branded websites, eNewsletters and phone apps; business magazines; live events including conferences, seminars and tradeshows; nationally broadcasted television and radio programs; a robust mobile-text-marketing business; and an array of data-driven paid information products. Farm Journal also is the majority shareholder of the online equipment marketplace, Machinery Pete LLC. In 2010, the company established the non-profit, public charity, Farm Journal Foundation, dedicated to sustaining agriculture’s ability to meet the vital needs of a growing population through education and empowerment.

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