Bill Couser, a fourth-generation farmer from Nevada, Iowa, has been named the 2025 recipient of the Global Farmer Network’s Kleckner Global Farm Leader Award, the organization announced this week.
The award, presented during GFN’s Annual Board Meeting in Des Moines, recognizes Couser’s contributions to agriculture as both a producer and advocate who has built connections with farmers worldwide.
“Bill shows what it means to be a lifelong learner and servant-leader in agriculture,” said Reg Clause, chairman of the GFN Board. “He’s always the first to ask ‘How can I help?’—and he means it.”
Couser operates a diversified operation that includes row crops and cattle. He also co-founded Lincolnway Energy and has advocated extensively for biofuels throughout his career, serving on various EPA and national biofuel boards.
The award holds special significance as Clause, a founding GFN member, served as a mentor to Couser early in his career.
“What a joy to be able to follow Reg and those founding members who were there at the beginning. They were just true leaders in the world,” Couser said upon receiving the award.
Beyond his domestic agricultural work, Couser has built meaningful international relationships through GFN. In 2023, he helped Nigerian farmer Patience Koku modernize her operation by building and sending her a single-row planter.
“Bill Couser is the kind of farmer and friend who leaves an imprint on your life and your land,” Koku said. “His generosity and commitment to others are unmatched.”
He also formed a connection with Dutch dairy farmer Judith de Vor, even traveling to the Netherlands in 2023 to help her family host a major on-farm event.
“When you talk to Bill, you quickly understand that his farm is more than a business, it’s a classroom, a launchpad, a gathering place,” said GFN CEO Mary Boote. “He doesn’t just grow crops and cattle. He grows people.”
The Kleckner Global Farm Leader Award was established in 2007 to honor the legacy of Dean Kleckner, the Network’s founding chairman.
