How does a guy from Harlem end up championing diversity in Minnesota agriculture? For Patrice Bailey, it all began during his senior year of high school, when his mom steered him away from his plans to go to law school. After earning ag-related degrees in Texas and Iowa, Bailey settled in the Midwest. First appointed assistant commissioner in 2019, Bailey has been steadily working to diversify Minnesota’s ag industry, which, as of the USDA’s 2017 Census of Agriculture, had just 39 Black farmers. Bailey aims to spend 2024 evangelizing for ag to kids and building out Minnesota’s Office of Emerging Farmers, the first of its kind in the nation.

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