Truman Torgerson
Leadership Straight From The Shoulder
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A theme continually repeated by those contributing remembrances was Truman’s emphasis on perfection. He demanded it in conducting meetings for Lake to Lake delegates and members, in meetings with department heads, and in plant visits. Maintenance of scrupulously clean facilities was a precursor to quality end products. He was adamant about personal integrity of all associated with the organization. He also encouraged proper dress code for directors and employees feeling that it reflected on the character of the organization and the members served. One of his traits was persevering on problems or issues to get the job done right.
Perhaps most important was his signature practice of greeting people with a warm and hearty handshake offered with a smile. This was practiced not only socially with friends or when meeting business associates, but at every membership meeting of Lake to Lake where he shook hands with every member to convey that top management was making an effort to stay in contact with member-owners and was not aloof from them. He listened to the concerns they expressed and was boosted by the encouragement they offered. He also practiced shaking hands with attendees at plant open houses where as many as more than 2,000 visitors would go through the registration line. Dr. Bill Norris observed: “Your Dad was second only to Ronald Reagan in his public relations capability.”
This collection of remembrances throughout the book and in the appendix attests to Truman’s legacy in
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About the Book
This book is a collection of remembrances from over 95 contributors, and writings about leadership of one of the foremost cooperative leaders of the 20th Century. As a national collegiate boxing champion, educator, county agricultural extension agent, and cooperative business executive, Truman Torgerson provided the vision and initiative for organizing one of the nation’s most successful marketing organizations, the Lake to Lake Dairy Cooperative. He also served on the board of directors of a number of dairy and other organizations such as Land O’Lakes, the Wisconsin Council of Agriculture and the National Milk Producers Federation where he exercised his leadership in defining successful principles, practices and policies for continuing operations and betterment of the industry.
The content of this book is rich in revealing not only Truman’s efforts of improving the livelihoods of Wisconsin farm operators, but also for insights to the teamwork that was developed among farmer directors and key staff members of Lake to Lake. It also provides historic evidence about an intense period of dynamic organizational change in American agriculture by documenting the efforts of a key leader in constantly seeking institutional improvements in governance and representation of farm interests. It shows how he confronted the NFO insurgency and organizational encounters with organizing initiatives of other cooperatives. It also shows how his hard work at an improving coordination in marketing among cooperatives met with largely unfulfilled expectations when Lake to Lake merged with Land O’Lakes in 1981.
The book not only shares insights of contributors who shared the journey with Truman and documents his very productive and purposeful life for family and friends, but also provides a reference reading in leadership development, cooperative marketing, and strategic maneuvering for college courses, seminars and workshops on group action in agriculture.
About the Author
Randall E. Torgerson is an educator, researcher and author on group action in agriculture. He became Administrator of the USDA’s cooperative program in 1975 when it was known as the Farmer Cooperative Service and served as head of the unit for 27 years until his retirement in 2003. Prior to that time, he had been a faculty member at the University of Missouri-Columbia where he taught three courses on cooperatives and collective action in agriculture. He helped organize the Missouri Institute of Cooperatives and helped found the Graduate Institute of Cooperative Leadership and served as executive secretary of both.
He accompanied his father, Truman Torgerson, to organizational meetings of the
He received the USDA’s highest performance recognition, the Distinguished Service Award, in 1982. He received the Association of Cooperative Educators award in 1986 for leadership in strengthening cooperative educational programs, and the National cooperative education award in 1989. In 2003, he received the Cooperative Champion award from the Cooperative Communicators’ Association for “tirelessly communicating the ideals, principles and practices of cooperatives”.
Dr. Torgerson has written two previous books, Producer Power at the Bargaining Table: A Case Study of the Legislative Life of S. 109 which won the 1970 Curator’s Publication Award at the
He and his wife Susan reside in