David Frederickson

Dave Frederickson
David J. Frederickson, 1991
Member of the Minnesota Senate from the 20th district
In office January 6, 1987 – January 4, 1993
Personal details
Born	(1944-03-02) March 2, 1944 (age 73) Murdock, Minnesota
Political party	Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party
Spouse(s)	Kay
Children	2
Residence	Roseville, Minnesota
Alma mater	St. Cloud State University
Occupation	Farmer, Politician

David J. “Dave” Frederickson (born March 2, 1944) is a Minnesota politician, serving as Commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Agriculture since January, 2011, and previously as a member of the Minnesota Senate from southwestern Minnesota from 1987 to 1993.

From the small city of Murdock, Frederickson graduated from St. Cloud State University in St. Cloud, earning his B.S. in Education. A fourth-generation farmer, he earned a reputation as a strong advocate for farmers and agricultural issues, education and tax reform.

First elected to the Senate in 1986 in the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party’s “firestorm” that swept through the region, giving Democrats unprecedented control of southwestern Minnesota for the next several election cycles, Frederickson served two terms. He was re-elected in 1990. He represented the old District 20, which included all or portions of Chippewa, Lac qui Parle, Redwood, Swift and Yellow Medicine counties.

While in the legislature, Frederickson was a member of the Senate Agriculture and Rural Development, Education, Local and Urban Government, Taxes and Tax Laws and Governmental Operations committees, and of various sub-committees relevant to each area. He chaired the Agriculture and Rural Development Subcommittee on Agriculture Resources during the 1991 and 1992 sessions.

After Frederickson's service in the legislature concluded, he was elected president of the Minnesota Farmers Union, serving from 1991 to 2002. In 2002, he was elected president of the National Farmers Union, a national federation of State Farmers Union organizations in the United States and the second largest general farm organization in the country, serving until 2006. In 2009, he received the NFU’s Meritorious Award for his years of service on behalf of Minnesota and American farmers. He worked as an Agricultural Outreach Director for U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar from 2007 to 2010.