Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle announced the appointment of Rod Nilsestuen as Secretary of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection on January 2, 2003. Nilsestuen served as President and CEO of the Wisconsin Federation of Cooperatives for 24 years. “Rod possesses a deep understanding of agricultural issues and has a clear vision of where we need to take Wisconsin’s agricultural economy in the future,” Doyle said. “He has a lifetime of experience in Wisconsin’s agricultural industry, and is well-known and respected throughout the state’s agricultural and rural communities.”

“Rod is an experienced, knowledgeable, and dedicated individual who will be a true asset to my administration,” Doyle said. “I am proud that he has decided to join our team, and I have full confidence that he will be a strong and capable DATCP Secretary.”

Rod Nilsestuen, 54, served as President and CEO of the Wisconsin Federation of Cooperatives (WFC) for 24 years, building it into one of the most respected cooperative trade associations in the country. For the last four years, he has also headed the Minnesota Association of Cooperatives, which has worked in an alliance with WFC. He founded Cooperative Development Services, a first-of-its kind model for new cooperative development, spearheaded the overhaul of the Wisconsin Agriculture Marketing Act, and played a pivotal role in the creation and establishment of the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board, a major dairy promotional program, as well as the Wisconsin Corn Promotion Board and the Wisconsin Soybean Marketing Board.

Nilsestuen provided the initial leadership in the development of Wisconsin Dairy 2020, the state’s program to bring together a cross-section of the dairy industry to better its economic and political environment. For the past decade, under Rod’s direction, WFC coordinated and staffed the Midwest Dairy Coalition, an industry-wide coalition dedicated to reforming federal dairy policy to give Wisconsin and Midwestern dairy producers a more level playing field.

He is a founding chair of the National Rural Cooperative Development Task Force, a pioneering effort that has resulted in the creation of 17 co-op centers and hundreds of coop development projects nationwide. He is a past chair and board member of the National Cooperative Business Association and the Cooperative Foundation, and has also served on the Wisconsin Rural Leadership Program, the Governor’s Commission on Agriculture, and as initial chair of the Coalition for Agricultural Research, Extension and Teaching and the UW Board of Visitors. He is a 1970 graduate of UW-River Falls and received a law degree from the University of Wisconsin Law School in 1974. Nilsestuen and his wife Carol live in DeForest and have three sons.