Land O’Lakes CEO Beth Ford will lead immigration committee on influential Business Roundtable

Land O’Lakes CEO Beth Ford may have a busy year ahead after being appointed chair of the immigration committee for Business Roundtable, an influential national group of chief executives.

If President-elect Donald Trump follows through with his campaign promises to rein in illegal immigration using workplace raids and increasing deportations — and at the same time limiting the number of legal immigrants — the business group will likely have a lot of lobbying to do. Its current stance is “pro-growth immigration reform that addresses workforce needs, coupled with stronger border security.”

“Beth’s perspective, representing both business and working people who help build our economy and feed us all, will be valuable as she continues the progression of understanding the needs of businesses tied to immigration,” a Land O’Lakes spokesperson said Thursday. “She worked with [Apple CEO] Tim Cook, the previous immigration committee chair, and looks forward to continuing to address the complex challenges of legal immigration, a workforce necessary for the economy to grow and businesses to thrive.”

Business Roundtable is an organization of CEOs that, similar to the Chamber of Commerce, lobbies on behalf of U.S. businesses. Its 2025 board also includes the top bosses of Apple, United Airlines, PepsiCo, Walmart, Eli Lilly and American Express.

Ford is the only Minnesota executive on the Business Roundtable board this year.

“I look forward to continued service on the board and working with other CEOs to advance the organization’s mission,” Ford wrote on social media Thursday. “We are stronger when we work together to promote a thriving U.S. economy and expanded opportunity for all Americans.”

Agribusinesses like Arden Hills-based Land O’Lakes, a Fortune 500 business, are especially dependent on immigrant labor. Just 61% of all agriculture workers were born in the U.S. as of 2022, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, compared with 81% for all occupations.

“Attracting immigrants is especially important today because of the critical shortage of workers,” the group says, though Business Roundtable’s immigration policy proposals have largely focused on skilled workers.

Ford has built a national profile since being named the cooperative’s chief executive in 2018, earning a spot on Time magazine’s 100 most influential people list and serving on the President’s Export Council.