Jerald Kemmerer
Our 2026 Sunflower Award recipient was raised on a farm in Jewell, Kansas, where he developed an early connection to agriculture. While he once planned to return to the family operation, his father encouraged him to pursue a broader path in the industry—recognizing his leadership ability and the impact he could have beyond the farm.
He earned a bachelor’s degree in agricultural business from St. Mary of the Plains College in Dodge City in 1985 and began his career shortly after as a grain merchandiser with the Dodge City Cooperative. He later earned a Master of Administrative Arts from Doane College in Crete, Nebraska.
His career took him to Booker, Texas; Wray, Colorado; Wichita, Kansas; Lincoln, Nebraska; and Kansas City, building experience across multiple regions and roles. While in Nebraska, he was among a small group of merchandisers involved in the formation of Harvest Equity, a joint venture between Harvest States and Union Equity.
In Kansas City, he managed a team for CENEX Harvest States and was active with the Kansas City Board of Trade. He later returned to Dodge City, where he became general manager of the cooperative in 2007.
Throughout his career, he has been actively involved serving as a volunteer leader. He served on the Kansas Grain and Feed Association board of directors from 1998 to 2011, including a term as our chairman from 2007 to 2009. He has also served on the boards of the National Grain and Feed Association, Kansas Cooperative Council and others.
He has stood at the forefront addressing policy issues affecting our industry. For many years, county appraisers across the state had classified grain elevator machinery and equipment as taxable fixtures to the real property. This classification, which was inconsistent with Kansas law, greatly increased the tax burden on our industry.
Our 2026 Sunflower Award winner spearheaded appealing this classification through our legal system, and in 2022, the Kansas Court of Appeals issued clear guidance to county appraisers that, under Kansas law, grain elevator commercial and industrial machinery and equipment should be appropriately classified as personal property and not a fixture to the realty. He, along with his team, shouldered the risk and cost and persistently pushed this appeal through. It was a historic decision that provided significant property tax savings for our industry.
At the local level, he helped establish scholarship programs supporting students from cooperative member families, awarding more than $120,000 to deserving students within Pride Ag Resources’ trade territory.
In addition, he has spent years organizing western Kansas manager meetings and events, helping maintain strong connections across the industry.
He and his wife, Jacque, who we deeply appreciate for helping us with this biography, were married in 1983 and have two children and three grandchildren. He is active in supporting his son, Jonathan, in developing a sustainable agriculture operation.
For his contributions to the grain and feed industry and his longstanding service to this association, the 2026 Sunflower Award is presented to, Jerald Kemmerer.