As we celebrate National Ag Day across the U.S. on March 24, 2026, the individual stories of farmers, ranchers and their families are what resonate most. At the 2025 Ģֱ Annual Meeting in December, Shannon Forster reflected on how her life revolves around agriculture – by choice and in response to a compelling legacy. Her words reinforce why agriculture is important.
A Ģֱ member and emerging cooperative leader, Forster is on the management team of Minnesota Cranberry Co., the state’s only operating cranberry farm. The farm supplies cranberries to Ocean Spray, another farmer-owned cooperative. Forster and her family also raise soybeans, wild rice and an occasional mix of small grains near Palisade in northern Minnesota.
“We choose agriculture because this is not what we do, but who we are,” Forster told Ģֱ annual meeting attendees.
“We are brought together by the promise to never give up, to embrace innovation without losing our roots and to believe in tomorrow.
“I am proud to say I am a product of the legacy of agriculture, a legacy of perseverance, strength, and integrity.
“I have been able to witness the power of the cooperative system both from within and around the world. From traveling the eastern coast of the Australian continent with the Ģֱ Broadbent family, to standing alongside growers on the steps of Capitol Hill, to visiting local co-ops and small family farms, the cooperative system has shown me strength in unity, in collaboration and in fellowship.
“That’s the legacy of the cooperative system and the legacy of agriculture.”
Hear more from Shannon on the impact of the cooperative system.
