25,000 Miles In: Val Wagner's First Year Leading North Dakota Farm Bureau

North Dakota Farm Bureau President Val Wagner has logged nearly 25,000 miles on a single vehicle in her first year on the job — road mileage that does not count her flights — as she nears the end of the first year of a two-year term and weighs a run for re-election.

Wagner described her opening year as turbulent. "I think I had made more special announcements, or proclamations, or whatever you want to call them, in my first three months than (the previous president) had in the previous, like, three years," she said.

She has not formally committed to seeking another term, but she said she has plenty of time to decide, and her framing leaves little doubt about her read on the job. "I think if I could get through this year, I can get through just about anything," she said.

What changes after the midterm election?

With the midterm election now behind the state, Wagner wants NDFB to shift its energy toward state-level issues and toward action — in her words, "and not just talking about it.""

That pivot comes after a year dominated by travel and relationship-building. "The experience has been kind of crazy," she said. Beyond the vehicle miles, the work has meant "a lot of conversations with members and building relationships with our elected officials, and really trying to, just kind of strengthen where our Farm Bureau collaborates with … a lot of different entities and groups."

The finding she keeps returning to is common ground. Because North Dakotans sit closer to agriculture than residents of many other states, she said building and expanding relationships with elected officials at the state, local and federal level has not been overly difficult. That claim is a leader's assessment rather than a measured result, and NDFB has not released member-survey data to back it — but it frames where the organization plans to spend its political capital.

Who is Val Wagner?

Wagner spent decades in Farm Bureau before winning the presidency, and she has a record of raising difficult topics, including health insurance coverage problems for farmers and ranchers. She is no stranger to national attention: at the American Farm Bureau Federation's 100th anniversary convention in 2019, President Donald Trump gave her a shout-out during his speech. The mention came after Wagner submitted comments to AFBF on trade, tariffs, the farm bill and overregulation. Trump referenced Wagner and her comments while discussing Waters of the U.S. regulations.

She is also the first woman to serve as NDFB president. Wagner does not introduce herself that way and does not dwell on the label, but she takes pride in it. Her youngest son, a high school senior, put the milestone in his own terms.

"Hey, mom, you know, you're in a record book now, and you're probably the most famous person from Monango," he told her.

"Take that as you may, if that's some street cred or not for a teenager," Wagner said. "But it is part of the story, and it's so neat to see that, especially when it comes to leadership in agriculture, that it doesn't matter, necessarily, who we are as people, it's what we represent."

How does NDFB set its agenda?

When she launched her run for the presidency in 2025, Wagner anchored her campaign in the organization's grassroots character: engaging members, making sure their voices carry, and keeping issues from being top-driven.

"The best part about Farm Bureau, and the reason why my husband, Mark, and I have always been involved, is that member engagement, like, feeling like we are part of the process, and if we had any questions, we knew that as an organization, we'd come together to answer those questions and figure out what that future looks like," she said.

She expects the NDFB annual meeting to set the agenda for the coming year based on what members have experienced. Her state-of-the-organization address will spotlight the organization and members' accomplishments rather than her own — a deliberate choice for a leader whose stated priority is institutional over personal.

"Our road map is made based on where they want to see us head," Wagner said. "Our theme this year is 'Member-built, but member-driven,' and I want to really drive that home, that this is their organization. They decide what this future looks like."

The test ahead is whether that member-driven road map converts into the state-level action Wagner has promised — and her first-year record of proclamations suggests members will be watching for results, not statements, in year two.