COLFAX, Wash. — Leslie Druffel recently spoke with middle-school students about how farming has impacted the economy and culture of the Palouse Prairie.

Talking to students is a key part of Druffel’s duties as outreach coordinator at the McGregor Co., which provides crop inputs, application equipment and services and risk management across the Pacific Northwest.

“There are so many things to be excited about in agriculture, in those ag-adjacent careers,” she said. “If you’re wanting to be a biologist, if you’re studying diseases, if you’re looking at plant and livestock genetics to see what improvements can be made — surely we’re not done figuring out what to do with a potato. Same with wheat, corn and soybeans.”

Business careers can fit “so perfectly” into daily ag life, she said.

“If you’re into accounting, if you said you’re a specialist in agricultural accounting — oh my gosh, you’d never be without a job,” she said.

Joining McGregorGrowing up in Moscow, Idaho, Druffel lived amid “farmers, ranchers and loggers” in the country. Her family kept various animals, including half a dozen cattle and horses, goats and a market lamb for 4-H.

She graduated from the University of Idaho with a degree in agricultural business.

The McGregor Co. needed a receptionist. Druffel “knew how to answer a phone and be nice to people.”

She’s now been with the company for 30 years.

“The first 10 years of anybody’s career is really about trying to find your fit and where your skills are, where you need to improve, and finding an employer willing to help you move forward,” she said.

“She’s a gem,” company chairman Alex McGregor said. “Leslie has dedication and passion for making a difference for the farm families we serve … I can’t imagine this business without her.”

In recent years, Druffel has begun to share responsibilities with McGregor, advocating for the industry.

Heavy impactOne of those responsibilities is co-chairing the Pacific Northwest Waterways Association’s Inland Ports and Navigation Group, which represents ag stakeholders in litigation over the four lower Snake River dams.

Leslie Druffel

Leslie Druffel

Occupation: Outreach coordinator, the McGregor Co.; co-chair, Inland Ports and Navigation Group

Age: 54

Hometown: Moscow, Idaho

Current location: Outside Colton, Wash.

Education: University of Idaho, degree in agricultural business

Family: Husband Heath, three children

Hobbies: Tinkering outside, “fix old things so they work again,” hand embroidery, planting a garden

Websites: https://mcgregor.com/ , https://www.pnwa.net/

The group is an intervenor defendant in the Columbia River system operations Environmental Impact Statement lawsuit. Plaintiffs want to see the lower Snake River dams removed, claiming it will benefit endangered salmon.

The issue has heated up in recent years, Druffel said.

“Lately, it’s been 90% of my job,” she said.

She wants to ensure that ag and rural America’s voices are heard. They will be heavily impacted if the dams are removed.

“I worry about that, because I see the locations where our McGregor branches are located — there’s not a lot of assets in those communities other than the people and the businesses who are holding it together,” Druffel said. “It’s hard for them, and it will be even more challenging with a further reduction in a tax base — your schools lose out on money, emergency services, your library. All of those things will get hit if the lower Snake River dams are removed.”

Being in the fertilizer industry means Druffel is connected to every commodity, said Rob Rich, her co-chair on the navigation group. She provides the perspective of the people that rely on the inland barging system to move their products to market, he said.

“It is remarkable in this day and age of short-term gain and interest that people like Leslie are standing up and taking a stake in the long-term health of the river system,” Rich said. “We are so fortunate to have someone so focused, so knowledgeable and so interested in supporting us.”

Finding a way to bring more fish into tributaries flowing into the lower Snake River is also a goal, Druffel said. She looks forward to partnering with tribes, businesses and organizations that share that goal.

“They need those fish, we want those fish — we’re all on the same path,” she said. “There are many things we can do to help get more fish into the hands of those who want and need them, without taking out the lower Snake River dams.”