2010 Legislator of the Year

State Representative Mary Ellen Otremba (DFL-District 11B: Long Prairie, MN) has been selected as the 2010 Legislator of the Year by Minnesota Milk Producers Association for demonstrating support to dairy farmers, the dairy industry and rural Minnesota by her actions at the State Capitol.

The award was announced during the Midwest Dairy Expo on November 30th in St. Cloud, Minn.

For the past 13 years, Representative Otremba has served as Chair of the Agriculture, Rural Economies and Veterans Affairs Committee and as a member of the Agriculture Finance Committee. In her capacity as Policy Committee Chair and as a member of the Finance Committee, she has authored or co-authored dozens

of bills of interest and concern to the Minnesota Milk Producers Association.

She was Chief Author of legislation to provide milk producer payments to beginning dairy operators, co-authored the Livestock Investment Grant Program legislation and subsequent bills to direct funding to the program, and worked on University agricultural research initiatives, milk truck weight exemptions, bills to exempt milk sold in vending machines from sales tax, and legislation to provide for the sale of school milk in single service plastic containers.

More often than not, Representative Otremba also served as one of the five House Conferees on the Agriculture and Veterans Affairs Bill that would set the budget for the Department of Agriculture.

“Mary Ellen is a true friend to dairy farmers and we are very fortunate to have had such a good friend at the State Capitol,” stated Pat Lunemann, Minnesota Milk President and dairy farmer from Clarissa, Minn. “As Representative Otremba enters into her retirement from public service, we just wanted to extend our gratitude for all she has done and our best wishes for a productive, healthy, and happy retirement.”