By Lori Ehde
After 30 years with the Agriculture Stabilization and Conservation Service, Rock County's Jim Lewis will be remembered as the man who went to bat for local farmers.
Lewis, 77, died Friday, March 8, in his sleep.
Luverne's Mary Jo Nath worked with Lewis for 25 years in the ASCS office, now known as the Farm Service Agency.
Much of their work involved connecting local producers with federal farm programs. She said Lewis went out of his way to reach all of Rock County's farmers.
"He went the extra mile so they wouldn't have to come in and stand in line (for sign-ups)," she said. "He'd have sign-ups in banks and old schoolhouses out in the country. I think farmers appreciated that."
She said working with Lewis was a pleasure.
"He was a down-to-earth guy. We all enjoyed working with him," she said. "He was fair to all the farmers, and he was always fair to us, as far as a boss is concerned."
Lewis farmed near Jasper until 1957 when he took the job of office manager at the Rock County ASCS office.
He went on to become the district ASCS manager in 1977 serving farmers in southwest Minnesota.
At that time, Roger Carlson, current FSA director in Rock County, filled the local office manager position vacated by Lewis.
"He certainly cared about agriculture and farmers," said Carlson, who worked under Lewis for 10 years.
"I think he did everything he could to influence politicians to help farmers in Rock County and southwest Minnesota."
Carlson said that firm ground in politics is what helped Lewis help farmers.
"He was truly a farmer's advocate, and he used his influence in politics to shape farm policy," Carlson said.
"Of course he comes from a very political family. If you ask any of his kids they'll tell you discussion around the dinner table was almost always about politics."
Lewis was a local civic leader throughout his adult life, serving on numerous boards, committees and commissions.
He was elected a Rock County Commissioner from 1990 to 1994, for example, and was instrumental in lobbying to locate a Minnesota Veterans Home in Luverne.