Michael Toelle

For over forty years, Mike Toelle has dedicated time, energy, and vision to supporting the cooperative system from the farm fields of Minnesota to the international stage.

A dedicated farmer, tireless director, and champion for cooperative education, Mike started his career expecting to work in the cooperative system. He did that, and more, though perhaps not in the way he originally planned. 

After a brief stint with Harvest States Cooperatives, Mike returned to the family farm and redirected his cooperative spirit toward board service in his local co-op. A natural leader with a heart for community, Mike was one of the youngest directors ever to be elected to the Cenex Inc. Board of Directors Balancing thoughtful respect for the past with an eye toward to the future, Mike was well-suited to serve on the core committee that resulted in the 1998 creation of CHS Inc., merging Harvest States Cooperatives and Cenex to create the largest U.S. cooperative, a global presence in agriculture and energy, and a Fortune 100 company.

Mike’s eventual leadership of the boards of both CHS and the CHS Foundation demonstrated two of his great gifts: an understanding of the need for innovation and an appreciation of the value of education. He understood the complex relationships that inspire and support both member loyalty and effective change to strengthen and grow the cooperative system. He saw the ways in which those with deep local connections could benefit by engaging in the international sphere, and how learning is critical for everyone from the CHS board directors to the students in his local FFA and 4-H groups.

Beyond the CHS boardroom, Mike’s skills and leadership as a director have been applied in service to Cooperative Network, the Agriculture Council of America, CF Industries, and CIBO. His current role as vice-chair of Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company draws on both his appreciation of the cooperative ethos of a mutual insurance company and his practical experience in risk management, regulatory issues, and monetary policy as a longtime leader in a farmer-owned system.

Mike’s strength as a leader and communicator is closely tied to his skill as a listener and an observer who can simultaneously appreciate and examine multiple perspectives. He is mindful of both the far-away producers he’s met in his global journeys, and those in the Browns Valley community he calls home. As a farmer, a neighbor, and a life-long learner, Mike is able to weigh the practicalities and needs of operating in today’s highly volatile and competitive agricultural economy with the impact on–and implications for–the social fabric and dignity of everyday life. This authentic and natural combination of high-level leadership and quiet humility marks Mike Toelle as a cooperative hero.