Ralph K. Morris Foundation hosts 2025 Nilsestuen Legacy Event at UW River Falls

The Ralph K. Morris Foundation hosted the annual Rod Nilsestuen Legacy Event on October 14, 2025 at the University of River Falls University Center.

Rod Nilsestuen was an innovative champion of cooperatives, a tireless advocate for farmers, a passionate believer in farmland preservation, a dedicated volunteer, a results-oriented public servant, and a visionary leader who inspired others to act for the common good. The Rod Nilsestuen Program at the University of Wisconsin - River Falls commemorates Rod’s achievements and sustains his legacy.

This year's Legacy Event featured Wyatt Thompson, PhD from the University of Missouri, whose presentation was titled "Can the Midwest compete? Agriculture, trade wars, and global markets."

Wyatt Thompson is a professor of agricultural and applied economics, having joined the Food & Agricultural Policy Research Institute (FAPRI) in 2006 to work on biofuel markets and policies, agricultural policies, and trade. He previously worked at the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development in Paris, France, and the Policy Research Institute of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries in Tokyo, Japan, and spent a sabbatical year at the Office of the Chief Economist of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Thompson earned his BS and MS in Economics at Washington University, St. Louis, and his PhD in Agricultural Economics at the University of Missouri.

The Rod Nilsestuen Program's mission is to encourage creative thinking, research, education and outreach in the areas of cooperative business and development, wise rural land use, and leadership. The Legacy Event features a special luncheon at which invited UW River Falls student leaders, faculty, and staff meet the featured speaker, guests, and members of the Rod Nilsestuen family, and is followed by a presentation open anyone from the UWRF and wider community.

The Ralph K. Morris Foundation was established in 2001 to carry on the legacy of cooperative leader and attorney Ralph Morris. The foundation provides development opportunities for emerging leaders expressing interest in applying and advancing the principles of cooperation, and in promoting farmland preservation, land stewardship, and sustainability. Gifts are deductible for federal income tax purposes as charitable contributions. For more information visit www.ralphkmorrisfoundation.org.