Riniker is National Farmers candidate for vice president
By Heather Thorstensen
hthorstensen@agrinews.com
Date Modified: 02/02/2012 9:13 AM
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GREELEY, Iowa — An Iowan hoping to be the next vice president for the National Farmers Organization says the group should increase its visibility to, and actively recruit, new members.
Paul Riniker, 54, of Greeley is one of two candidates so far for the position. Mark Manford of Missouri is running against him.
The election will be held Feb. 2, the final day of the National Farmers 2012 Convention at the Sheraton West Des Moines Hotel.
The vice president serves a four-year term.
"Basically, you're at the president's side to support him and to pick up where he needs you," said Riniker.
Voting will also take place for a new president.
NFO provides members with collective bargaining power and risk management services in an effort to get the best price possible for its members' products.
Increasing membership would help more farms and bring in more revenue that NFO could use to attract even more farmers, Riniker said.
"Farmers need to work together more on pricing what they produce and they also need to work on managing the risk," he said. "...If more members would be aware of what we offer, it would be helpful to them."
Riniker knows potential members will look at the organization's track record before they join, which is why he thinks the organization needs to be receiving at least the top-third of average market commodity prices.
"Today's farmer is business savvy and they're going to want to know what they're getting for their money," he said.
A particular challenge is to get new farmers and young farmers involved with the organization, just as it's a challenge to get young people farming in general.
He also wants the group to continue to be a source of information for legislators. The group gave input in National Milk Producers Federation's Foundation for the Future plan and were in support of most of it, he said.
Riniker believes he is a strong candidate because of his farming experience. That will help him make decisions that benefit NFO's family farmers, from small to large operations, he said.
He has been a NFO member since 1982; his parents joined in 1965.
He has served on NFO's national board of directors since 1996. He is also on the executive board and the Iowa board.
On the local level, he is on the Iowa and Wisconsin dairy committee and a board that oversees the Livestock Marketing Center in Farley, a cattle collection point.
He and his wife, Janet, milk 40 Holsteins. A fire damaged their barn in August, so they are milking at their neighbor's place.
Since 2000, they have put more emphasis on feeding cattle. Of their 1,200 cattle on feed, they keep 750 head at their farm throughout the year between a monoslope facility and outdoor lots. The others are raised at another location.
They produce corn and hay on 500 acres. The crops are used to feed the cattle.
Riniker also operates a custom silage business that serves 11 counties in northeast Iowa and one farm in Wisconsin.
He and Janet have three children, Steve, 33, Michelle, 32 and Susan, 29.