Schoper joins FSA, leaves Extension

By FRITZ BUSCH

Journal Staff Writer

SLEEPY EYE -- University of Minnesota Extension Technical Advisor Wayne Schoper has accepted a position with the United States Farm Service Agency.

Schoper worked for the University of Minnesota Extension Service for nearly 20 years, in Brown County over the past 15 years. He'll join the FSA, on Monday, Sept. 20.

The public is invited to an open house farewell will be held from 10 to 11:30 a.m. Friday, Sept. 17 at the Brown County Office Building in Sleepy Eye.

Following a six-month training program, Schoper will be based in the Murray County FSA office, but he will become the FSA executive director in Redwood, Le Sueur or Rock County.

"Lots of changes are going on in the Extension Service," Schoper said. "I'll miss the many people I've enjoyed working with."

Schoper was well known in the area for many aspects of agriculture, particularly dairy farming. Among his more noteworthy accomplishments were numerous visits to Vietnam, Russia and South Africa where he used his know-how to educate foreign dairy farmers on how to improve their farm production.

In May of 2000, Schoper provided White House staffers with a list of area farmers as potential sites for former President Bill Clinton to visit. The president considered visiting the area as part of a Minnesota stop to tout normalizing trade with China that spring, However, the White House decided there wasn't time to travel to New Ulm from the Twin Cities during the president's visit to Minnesota.