Lance Rezac: 2025 Distinguished Alumni Award Recipient

Lance Rezac, a farmer at Rezac Land and Livestock, is the 2025 recipient of the Distinguished Alumni Award.

Rezac graduated from K-State in 1983 with a degree in agricultural mechanization. For him, the degree was a perfect match, and so was K-State.

“If you're thinking agriculture in Kansas, you just automatically think K-State,” he said. “I didn't even consider anything else, actually. I was going to go to K State… I've always enjoyed building things, making things. When I saw the description of that degree, right away I thought, ‘well, that's the one for me.’”

Rezac has always enjoyed learning. After earning his degree, he realized that numerous opportunities were all around him.

“The degree just expanded my views, helped me look at a bigger world, and just look at the world with different eyes and realize all the opportunities and things that go on… When I was 18, [I thought] I was the smartest I ever was… After you've gone through college, you go, ‘oh, there's a lot to learn in life.’”

The transition from college to career was made easier for Rezac with his family’s farm, located about 25 miles from Manhattan.

“I'd go home on the weekends and farm. Sometimes after classes, I'd go home and farm,” he said. “I remember eating at Derby Food Hall with my pliers on, ready to go home and farm. And people would go, ‘What are you doing?’ I said, ‘I'm going to work.’”

While Rezac returned to the farm to work with his family, his involvement in other organizations keeps him actively connected with K-State. As a farmer leader serving on the Kansas Soybean Commission, he works with the International Grains Program to host trade teams from other countries.

“Being on the soybean board just keeps me connected. We fund a lot of research here at K-State, and so we're continually back and forth and working with that. It's really… a neat thing.”

Rezac also serves as a United Soybean Board director and has served as the chairman of the U.S. Soybean Export Council, which has allowed him to visit 35 countries to promote and build partnerships around the U.S. soy market.

“It's been an absolutely amazing ride, and it's all because of agriculture and soy around the world,” he said. “We've gone with feed grains and corn, too. So it's not just soy, it's [agriculture].”

Through his time at K-State and his global travels, Rezac has met numerous people throughout the agricultural industry. He says the people are the best thing about ag.

“I tell my kids, anywhere you go in the world, the nation, ag people are good people… I just can't say enough about how good the college experience was and how great the college students are. Even if we go to Aggieville today, the college kids will still come talk to us… They're just such good people.”

Rezac said it was “quite an honor” to be the recipient of the 2025 Distinguished Alumni Award.

“When I found out it was just me and the [Outstanding Young Alumnus], I went, ‘Wow, that was pretty impressive,’” he said. “People who I don't even know have come up and say, ‘I saw you got the Distinguished Alumni award.’

“You look at the list of previous winners and it's a little bit of ‘Who's Who.’ So to be on that list [is a] very good recognition. I really appreciate that.”