Dan Engemann, who has spent the past several years working for Republican senators in the Capitol, took over as the director of regulatory affairs for the Missouri Farm Bureau this week.
In the upper chamber, Engemann had a strong focus on constituent services, and he is bringing his desire to help others to his new role with the Farm Bureau.
“People drilled into me a long time ago: People aren’t going to remember you for the bills you pass … they’re going to remember you more if you helped them with their issues. And that’s a big part of this job — being the farmers’ voice in Jefferson City and Washington, D.C.,” Engemann said in an interview. “There are a bunch of new regulations coming at us, especially from Washington, D.C., and I’ll be there when I can.”
“[Farmers] are busy running their operations. If we can help them over the long haul and provide some good regulatory certainty, protect their ability to operate and stay in business and provide a good living for their families, that’s what it’s all about,” Engemann said.
Engemann spent the past year serving as Sen. Karla Eslinger’s chief of staff. Prior to that, he worked for former Sen. Mike Cunningham for four years. Engemann has spent the past three interims working as the district director for Senate President Pro Tem Dave Schatz.
“I enjoyed working with Dan. He served the 33rd district as our chief and did an outstanding job,” Eslinger told The Missouri Times. “He will be missed by all who were fortunate enough to work with him. We know Farm Bureau will quickly learn what a great asset it is to have Dan on their team!”
He has also worked for Congressman Blaine Luetkemeyer and the Missouri Soybean Association.
Because of his time in the Senate and Clean Missouri, Engemann will have to wait before he can officially lobby in the Capitol. But in the meantime, Engemann said he will have a bevy of federal regulations to keep up with — from climate change regulations to “ping-ponging” on “waters of the U.S.”(WOTUS) rule changes — to keep him busy in the meantime.
“Dan is an outstanding addition to our team at Missouri Farm Bureau. Our organization has long been a leader in fighting burdensome regulations in rural America,” Missouri Farm Bureau President Garrett Hawkins said. “Dan’s knowledge and experience will help protect our members from overregulation and make sure their voices continue to be heard for years to come. I look forward to working with him as we fight for Missouri’s farm and ranch families.”
Engemann has a strong agriculture background, from growing up on a farm in Hermann to serving as executive director of the Coalition to Protect the Missouri River where he focused on advocacy for flood control, navigation, and utilities. He is also a member of the Agriculture Leadership of Tomorrow and serves as a representative on the Missouri River Recovery Implementation Committee.
“It’s really good to get back and focus on those issues, serving our farmers and ranchers,” Engemann said.
Engemann, who has a degree in agribusiness management from the University of Missouri, still resides in Hermann along with his wife and three children. He officially began in his new role on Monday.
Engemann replaced Leslie Holloway who retired from the position after working for the Missouri Farm Bureau for 26 years.
Will Wheeler — who Engemann said is well-versed on Eslinger’s district from his time working for Senator Roy Blunt in Springfield— has replaced him in her office.
Kaitlyn Schallhorn was the editor in chief of The Missouri Times from 2020-2022. She joined the newspaper in early 2019 after working as a reporter for Fox News in New York City.
Throughout her career, Kaitlyn has covered political campaigns across the U.S., including the 2016 presidential election, and humanitarian aid efforts in Africa and the Middle East.
She is a native of Missouri who studied journalism at Winthrop University in South Carolina. She is also an alumna of the National Journalism Center in Washington, D.C.
Contact Kaitlyn at kaitlyn@themissouritimes.com.
