California Farm Bureau’s new Chief Operating Officer Dan Durheim tends to his family’s flock of sheep in Ohio, where he worked as associate vice president of sponsor relations for Nationwide.
New Farm Bureau leader is driven to motivate, inspire
By Christine Souza Born and raised on his family’s livestock farm in rural Minnesota, Dan Durheim has spent nearly 30 years in leadership roles supporting agriculture. He is no stranger to hard work. Although he has milked his share of dairy cows and tossed many hay bales, the incoming chief operating officer for the California Farm Bureau said his forte is leading people. “Some people have a natural ability to work on tractors or plant things,” Durheim said. “While I love agriculture, what I have naturally is the love of people and an ability to build relationships and really bring out the best in folks that I work with.” The California Farm Bureau Board of Directors selected Durheim as the orga- nization’s first-ever COO after screening more than 1,100 candidates following a comprehensive executive search led by the business consulting firm Morrison. In his new role, Durheim will oversee daily operations and management of per- sonnel and ensure that the goals of the or- ganization are carried out. Durheim joins the Farm Bureau on July 1. California Farm Bureau President Shannon Douglass called Durheim “a longtime champion for agriculture and for Farm Bureau.” She noted his extensive background with the American Farm Bureau Federation and the Minnesota Farm Bureau. She also praised his commitment to grassroots work on behalf of farmers and ranchers at county, state and national levels. “Dan’s deep experience with Farm Bureau, established relationships within the industry, selfless leadership style and focus on strategic service of our members make him uniquely qualified to serve in this historic position for our organization,” Douglass said.
Durheim grew up in the central Minnesota town of Eagle Bend, where his parents raised beef cattle and sheep, and held jobs outside the farm. “It was in a very agrarian community dependent upon agriculture,” he said of his hometown, which has a population of about 550. He added that he and his family were active in the community, 4-H and FFA. While attending the University of Minnesota, Durheim helped plan livestock shows as an intern at the Minnesota State Fair. It was through this experience that he met a woman who introduced him to the Farm Bureau, a pivotal experience that he said influenced the trajectory of his career. “I met Robin Kinney, who worked for the Minnesota Farm Bureau, who became a mentor,” Durheim said. “I was just im- pressed. She had this calling for me about the way that she served members and the excitement that she had. Because of Robin Kinney, here I am nearly 30 years later.” Kinney, Minnesota Farm Bureau direc- tor of membership and marketing, said she is excited that Durheim is returning to the Farm Bureau family. “Dan empowers people to be their best, and I think that is what our grassroots members need, and I think that’s what those in production agriculture need,” Kinney said. “They need somebody to be their champion and coach, and I can’t think of a more perfect mentor.” In discussing how he intends to ap- proach the position, Durheim said he hopes to strengthen relationships and uni- fy the state’s farmers and ranchers, adding, “there’s a real opportunity to champion what we do.” “There is no place in the world that is more productive and does more to sustain life than California farmers and ranchers,” he said. “When I think about just the sheer See DURHEIM, Page 8
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