2021 Legislator of the Year

Minnesota Milk’s board of directors was proud to bestow our Legislator of the
Year award to a former member, former dairy farmer, and influential legislator
Representative Nathan Nelson (R-Hinckley). Representative Nelson was
elected to office in 2019. While he has only served one term, Minnesota Milk is
fortunate that someone with hands-on dairy farming experience remains in
the legislature.

Representative Nelson continues farming crops and a herd of beef cattle
near Hinckley with his wife Suzanna and five children. District 11B includes
the towns of Hinckley, Mora, Pine City, Sturgeon Lake and Willow River,
hugging the Wisconsin border across Pine and Kanabec counties. In addition
to dairy farming, Nelson served as supervisor of the Clover Township board
and president of Pine County Farm Bureau. In his spare time, Nathan enjoys
spending time with his family, hunting, fishing and making maple syrup.

Nelson chief offered six bills and co-authored eight more in 2021, but also
helped provide his farmer-centric viewpoint on bills that were heard in three
important committees on which he serves: Agriculture Finance and Policy,
Environment and Natural Resources Finance, and Policy and Legacy Finance.