In Our History: Farming and Leadership
Since 1947, we have grown from five acres of potatoes to an operation that produces roughly 8,500 acres of potatoes, corn and specialty crops. Wayne J. Lennard started the legacy with a potato operation in Monroe County, Michigan and quickly established himself and the Wayne J. Lennard & Sons company as leaders in the state’s potato industry.
In 1969, the Lennard family again proved their innovation by building Michigan’s first refrigerated potato storage facility. And in 1983, the operation was named one of the Top 10 Best Managed Farms by Farm Futures Magazine. Wayne’s son, Kim was an integral part of the company before and after college and quickly rose to leadership positions in the Potato Research Committee and Monroe Ag Council.
The name of the company was changed to Lennard Ag Company in 2002 with the increased involvement of Wayne’s grandson Kyle – the third generation of the Lennard family. Kyle, alongside his father Kim, continue the day-to-day operations.
Lennard Ag supports the Michigan Potato Industry Commission and Kyle regularly participate in numerous industry activities. Kyle has served on the U.S. Potato Board and is a graduate of the National Potato Council Leadership Institute. Kyle has participated in Purdue University’s Top Farmer Crop Workshop and on Purdue’s Center for Commercial Agriculture Farmer Panel.
