Niman Ranch Farmers Honored as Iowans of the Week by U.S. Representative Cindy Axne

Siblings and Sixth Generation Farmers Recognized for Raising Awareness of Iowa Farming Traditions, Young Farmer Challenges

U.S. Representative Cindy Axne (IA-03) has selected siblings Dane and Kelsey Kruse, Niman Ranch farmers, as Iowans of the Week. The “Kruse Kids” are being recognized for their commitments to sustainable farming traditions and efforts to raise awareness of the challenges young farmers face.

Dane and Kelsey are sixth-generation independent family farmers who help raise pigs alongside their dad Jeff for Niman Ranch. The Kruse family are committed to natural pig production—raising their hogs without antibiotics, providing plenty of room to roam and exhibit their natural behaviors and 100% vegetarian feed. All Niman Ranch farmers are Certified Humane.

While young farmers face many challenges—steep land costs, college debt, uncertain markets and more—the future is still bright thanks to the efforts of people like the Kruse family, the grassroots organizing and advocacy of the National Young Farmers Coalition, Chipotle’s new young farmer initiative, the Niman Ranch Next Generation Foundation and the many other people, organizations, policymakers and companies supporting opportunities for young farmers.

With the average farmer age nearing 58 and farmers aged 65+ outnumbering farmers under 35 by more than six to one, Dane and Kelsey represent the future of agriculture.

Rep. Axne submitted the following statement to the official Congressional Record, celebrating the Kruse Kids’ accomplishments and efforts to make Iowa better:

Madam Speaker, I rise today to ask the House of Representatives to join me in recognizing two outstanding young Iowans, Dane and Kelsey Kruse from Silver City, Iowa. These two, brother and sister, are young farmers in Mills County continuing the family tradition on the farm. They were recently featured in a national advertising campaign that focused on the challenges young farmers face.

Dane and Kelsey, or the “Kruse Kids,” are sixth-generation hog farmers that sell to Niman Ranch. Both in their early 20s, Dane and Kelsey are young faces in a profession where the average age is nearly 58. As Kelsey said, “It’s becoming very difficult for younger people to get themselves started” in farming.

I know many of my colleagues agree on how important it is to support young farmers like Kelsey and Dane. Nothing is more critical to the future of Iowa’s rural economy than young people returning home to their community and carrying on the family tradition. Too often we see young Iowans moving away from their communities to seek opportunity elsewhere.

Not only are the Kruse Kids helping their community by returning home after college, they are serving as incredible ambassadors for rural Iowa as the focus of national attention. Earlier this year, Dane and Kelsey joined other young farmers and participated in the Rose Parade on New Year’s Day to kick off Chipotle’s “Cultivate the Future of Farming” initiative.

The Kruse family hogs are raised naturally with plenty of room, fed a vegetarian diet, and are antibiotic free. As consumers want to know more about where their food comes from, the Kruse Kids, along with their father Jeff, are proud to show off their farm and how they raise their Iowa hogs.

I’m proud to honor Dane and Kelsey as our Iowans of the Week. As Dane shared to millions in the commercial, farming isn’t easy. But why does he do it? “You can say it is in my blood, you can say I’m crazy, I don’t know, I just like farming.”

I hope you all will join me in recognizing Dane and Kelsey Kruse, along with all other young farmers across the country, and continue to work to ensure more kids have the resources they need to continue the family tradition.

More on Niman Ranch’s commitment to the next generation of farmers:

• Niman Ranch bucks bleak agriculture trends
• Niman Ranch applauds Chipotle’s young farmer initiative
• Niman Ranch Awards $140,000 in Scholarships to 39 Students, Supporting the Next Generation of Sustainable Farmers and Agriculture Leaders
• Niman Ranch Offers New Resources to Support Young Farmers, Encourage Sustainable Practices