Mark Allen Moenning, 70, of Hayfield, MN passed away on Thursday, October 31, 2024, in Dodge Center, MN.
Rain was in the forecast. The last of the round bales had been hauled off the field. It was late in the day when our Lord and Savior called Mark Moenning, age 70, of Hayfield, Minnesota, home, proclaiming your work on earth is done good and faithful servant. The family found Mark peacefully sitting in his truck where he likely was checking markets or the weather on his tablet, having a snack and wishing his phone charger worked better. The harvest was complete. The rain came and so did the tears.
Mark was born July 5, 1954, in Norfolk, Nebraska, to Arno and Deloris Moenning, the second of three sons. The family moved to Dodge Center, Minnesota, in 1958 where his father farmed, and with the help of his sons, developed Moenning Farms selling Hampshire breeding stock to commercial and purebred producers throughout 23 states and internationally. Mark loved and nurtured the land, its resources, and the livestock raised on the farm which through the years also included Simmental and Angus cattle, and Holstein market steers.
Mark attended Grace Lutheran Elementary School and graduated from Dodge Center Public School in 1972. He graduated from the University of Minnesota Waseca in 1974 and farmed in Dodge County ever since.
Mark was a champion of family, farming and faith, using his life’s work to create a legacy through his children and his service to agriculture.
Mark’s 4-H activities included raising and showing livestock in Dodge County, the Minnesota State Fair, and ARKSARBEN. Once he graduated, his involvement continued as he helped others with their livestock projects, coached the 4-H livestock judging team, and served on the Dodge County Fair Board for several years. According to a former 4-Her, Mark was respected and appreciated as a mentor by many.
Mark will long be remembered for his passion for the livestock industry. He was active in Dairyland Beef Producers, Dodge County Feedlot Advisory Committee, and served on the Dodge County Farm Bureau Board for more than 35 years. His leadership, knowledge and passion were evident in numerous rural, agriculture and animal health issues. He served on the Farm Bureau Resolutions Committee and the Minnesota Cattlemen’s Policy Committee, and working closely with his father Arno and others, laid a foundation to proactively address pseudorabies which devastated the pork industry in the 1980’s. Mark also participated in the MN-IA Leadership Program; he valued the friendships made and the agricultural tour of Russia.
Mark had the memory of an elephant and could remember conversations and other technical details from the past 40 plus years. As one friend explained, this is probably why a ten-minute phone call could last an hour.
Most notably, Mark was on the Minnesota Beef Council from 1986 to 2007 where he served as treasurer, on the executive committee, and chaired the Nutrition Research Committee. From 1996 to 2008, he was appointed nationally to the Beef Industry Council, and later the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, where he chaired the Issues Management subcommittee and later, chaired the Producer Communication Committee. He was knowledgeable, insightful, a strong leader, and a voice of reason to those who worked with him.
Mark’s involvement in the beef industry led to meeting his wife, Donna who worked at the National Live Stock and Meat Board in Chicago. As their relationship blossomed, the two created their family farm by Hayfield when they married in 1995 and raised three children, Mary, Samuel and Martha. Working alongside them, Mark provided the foundation that helped them raise and exhibit 4-H and FFA livestock projects and later their own herd of registered Simmental cattle. Mark was the rock that kept the farm going as the children engaged in church, school, 4-H and FFA activities, county and state fairs, Junior Simmental shows, Minnesota Beef Expo, civil war re-enactments, college, collegiate livestock judging events, military milestones and the travel required of Donna’s career.
His acts of love and faith were shown in numerous ways; ensuring the trailer was ready to haul pigs to market and cattle to shows, giving endless belly rubs to the dogs, helping with school assignments, cutting tree limbs for decorating at church, clearing snow from cars, patiently explaining technical farm equipment in understandable terms to his kids and nephews, tearing up over patriotic music as he thought of his son, planting crops every spring and trusting God would provide a harvest.
He was an exceptional caretaker of the land, livestock, friends, and most importantly his family. Mark and Donna loved one another unconditionally and he loved his children the same.
Mark leaves behind his wife, Donna Moenning, Hayfield, MN; son, Samuel Moenning, Columbus, GA; daughters, Mary and Martha Moenning, Hayfield, MN; two brothers, David Moenning, Dodge Center, MN; and Paul (Cathy) Moenning, Dodge Center, MN; and numerous nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents, Arno and Deloris Moenning.
A funeral service will be held at 11:00 a.m. Friday, November 8, 2024, at Community Celebration Church, 27337 County Hwy 34 in Kasson, MN. Visitation will be 4:00-7:00 p.m. Thursday, November 7, 2024, at Czaplewski Family Funeral Homes, 501 2nd St NW in Hayfield, MN and one hour prior to the service at the church. Interment will be in St. John's Lutheran Cemetery in Sargeant, MN. Blessed be his memory.
To share a special memory or condolence please, visit www.czaplewskifuneralhomes.com, Czaplewski Family Funeral Homes ~ 501 2nd Street NW ~ Hayfield, Minnesota.
