| John Burkel is the Republican endorsed candidate seeking to represent House District 1A which includes Kittson, Marshall, Pennington and Roseau counties in northwestern Minnesota.
I am a lifelong resident of the area, growing up on a turkey farm in Greenbush and graduating from Greenbush High School. My wife Joni (Svoboda) is a Badger graduate and we have been married for 35 years. We have five children. Vanessa (30), is a mom and CPA residing in Park River, ND with her husband Kilen, son Rhett (5), daughter Joelle (3), daughter Faye (2) and June (1). Andrea (28) is an elementary school teacher and resides with her husband Austin "AJ" Hogenson in Badger. Alex (26) is finishing up his MBA degree at BSU and will graduate in May. Jack (21) is a junior at North Dakota State University and Emily (16) is a sophomore at Badger High School.
I attended two years at North Dakota State University and moved back to buy the turkey farm where we currently live and operate in Badger. I am a fourth generation turkey producer and served for 20 years on the board of directors at Northern Pride, Inc., a grower owned turkey processing and marketing cooperative based in Thief River Falls. I served as chairman of the board from 2016-2020. I have also been active in the turkey industry serving on the Minnesota Turkey Growers Association board of directors from 1999-2009, and was chairman of that organization in 2005. I was also a member of the executive committee of the National Turkey Federation from 2007-2017 and was chairman in 2013. Locally, Joni and I are active members of St. Mary's church in Badger, teaching religious education and serving in our parish music ministry. I have been active on the church council and have been a trustee as well. We were also chosen to be the ambassadors representing Roseau County in 2007 to the Red River Valley Emerging Leaders program. As lifelong residents of Northwest Minnesota, Joni and I, along with our family, have been steeped in the shared culture, values, and issues that are important to our local communities. Please feel free to contact me via email, text or phone call and introduce yourself, ask questions and voice your concerns. |