Eric Sannerud

Eric Sannerud is a farmer, entrepreneur, and advocate for the next generation of American agriculture. He is the founding farmer at Mighty Axe Hops, the Midwest's largest hop farm, which raises specialty hops for craft brewers worldwide. Mighty Axe Hops began as a college project and expanded from a 5-acre plot to more than 80 acres of farmland. The company was founded with Ben Boo on Sannerud's home farm in Ham Lake, Minnesota. Combining agricultural innovation with entrepreneurial drive, Mighty Axe Hops established itself in Minnesota, focusing on defining the science behind terroir in hop production.

Sannerud graduated cum laude from the University of Minnesota with an individualized degree in sustainability, business, and social justice. Inspired by educators and farmers Eduard Lindeman and Wendell Berry, he designed a pioneering cooking and food systems course, contributed to one of the first Food Systems majors in the country, and was a founding member of Urban Oasis, a sustainable food center that received a $1 million grant to bring cooking classes, an incubator kitchen, and locally sourced catering to communities in Saint Paul. He later started the Sandbox Center for Regenerative Entrepreneurship, a beginning farmer incubator addressing the need for new farmers in the United States.

Sannerud delivered a TEDx talk, "Without Farmers You'd be Hungry, Naked, and Sober," which examines the state of American farmers from the perspective of a next-generation farmer and has received more than 2 million views on TED. The talk explores why farmers are retiring faster than they are being replaced in the United States and challenges audiences to look beyond local farmers' markets, urging them to use their vote to support farmers. Sannerud is recognized for translating complex agricultural policy into accessible narratives, making him a sought-after voice in discussions about food systems, sustainability, and rural entrepreneurship.

Sannerud's work has been recognized by the Minneapolis St. Paul Business Journal's 40 Under 40 Award, the University of Minnesota Alumni Society's U40 Leader Award, and the Greater St. Cloud Development Corporation's Innovation Award. Outside of the hop yard, he has served as a board member of the Minnesota Department of Agriculture's Rural Finance Authority and as an advisor to the Minnesota Agricultural Water Quality Certification Program. He has also held positions with the Institute on the Environment, Healthy Foods Healthy Lives Institute, and Farmers' Legal Action Group.

After navigating significant challenges, including a Labor Day storm that damaged Mighty Axe's hopyard with 55-mph winds and resulted in substantial crop losses, Sannerud transitioned to work as a freelance hop consultant for brewers, farmers, and marketers across the United States. He provides hop market analysis through a monthly newsletter called "Hop Notes." Sannerud remains active in leadership groups including the Central Minnesota Young Farmers Coalition, National Young Farmers Coalition, and Minnesota Farmers Union, continuing to support farmers and agricultural systems nationwide.