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2013 Director & Delegate Election

The Slate of Candidates for the 2013 Board of Director and Delegate Election are listed below. Ballots will be mailed to patrons on December 15th and will need to be signed and returned by Tuesday, January 8, 2013. 

Director and delegate terms will be three years in duration.

District 1

Director Candidates:  

Lance Hanson
Columbia, SD

 Lance, 51, raises corn and soybeans with his brother, Brad. He has served as a Board Member for James Valley Grain since the inception of the LLC. Lance’s vision for Wheat Growers for the next three years - “I would like to see Wheat Growers continue to work on becoming the most efficient and effective coop in our trade area. I would also like to see more expansion in fertilizer and to try to continue to stay ahead of the needs of today’s patrons.”
Terry Leonhardt
Groton, SD		 Terry raises corn, beans and alfalfa. He served 9 years (2000-2008) on Wheat Growers' Board. He is also a member of Full Circle Ag, Dakotaland Feeds and Ferney Cenex. Terry’s vision for Wheat Growers for the next three years is “to continue to meet the patron’s needs through new construction, employees and mergers. If elected I will be the patron’s voice at the Board Meetings. A good Director starts with good listening skills.”
Delegate Candidates:  
Brian Dennert
Columbia, SD		 Brian, 56, and his brother, Scott, raise corn, soybeans, wheat and alfalfa.  Brian has served on the Columbia Fire Department for 38 years, 9 years as the Chief and is currently the Assistant Chief.  He was employed with Wheat Growers in Columbia for 17 years (1982-1999) with 7 years as an Agronomy Specialists.  Brian’s vision for Wheat Growers for the next three years - “Locally, I would like to see some sort of grain facility back in Columbia, along with expanded agronomy plans for this area.”
Jeff Kippley
Aberdeen, SD		 Jeff, 33, and his wife, Rachel, farm with his parents.  They raise corn, beans and cattle.  Jeff earned his degree in Business Administration and Accounting from Black Hills State University, worked for H&R Block as a tax preparer for 9 years and also Wheat Growers and is a member of Northern Electric.  Jeff’s vision for Wheat Growers for the next three years is “to continue growth while gaining efficiencies to ensure profitability for farmer owners.”
Jeff Schaunaman
Aberdeen, SD		 Jeff, 41, earned his associates degree from North Dakota State College of Science in Wahpeton, ND. He and his father, Lyle, raise corn, soybeans and wheat. In addition to farming, Jeff is also a rural mail carrier in Aberdeen, township supervisor for Lincoln Township and Area II representative for the rural postal union in South Dakota. Jeff’s vision for Wheat Growers for the next three years is “for SDWG to provide for its customers continued support and services to keep area growers at the top of their potential.”

 

District 2

Director Candidates:  

Matthew Johnson
Webster, SD

 Matthew, 36, farms with his wife, Melanie, father, Dennis, and brother, Ben.  They raise corn and soybeans.  He attended SDSU for Ag Business, is a member of Lake Region Electric and completed South Dakota Agriculture and Rural Leadership (SDARL) training as a member of Class 5.  Matt’s vision for Wheat Growers for the next three years - “With the extremely large swings in the commodity markets and imports, Wheat Growers will have to continue to strengthen their financial position.  Risk Management is an important as it ever has been.”   
Delegate Candidates:  
Dave Jandel
Athol, SD		 Dave, 30, farms with his brother Keith and together they raise, corn, beans and wheat.  Dave earned his Ag Business degree from SDSU.  His vision for Wheat Growers for the next three years is “to stay competitive in fast changing markets and recruit knowledgeable employees that strive for customer satisfaction.  To help educate producers on fast pace of markets and adapt to new more efficient ways of production.”
Brian Johnson
Frankfort, SD		 Brian, 30, earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Ag-Business from SDSU.  He and his father, Alan, raise wheat, corn, soybeans and have a cow/calf operation.  Brian is a member of Northern Electric and St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Turton.  His vision for Wheat Growers is to “continue to offer excellent services to patrons while attracting and retaining top-quality employees.  Wheat Growers has a broad range of employment opportunities and needs to actively recruit interested high school and college students.”
Jarett Olson
Bristol, SD		 Jarett, 29, attended Lake Area Technical Institute.  He and his father raise corn and soybeans and run a cow/calf operation.  Jarett’s vision for Wheat Growers for the next three years is “to be a competitive business, but also be a profitable one.”
Reese Wagner
Redfield, SD		 Reese, 34, farms with his parents, Rick and Judy, and sister and brother-in-law, Roxanne and Eric Knock.  He and his wife, Elly Jo, have two children, Weston and Jocelyn.  They raise corn, soybeans and Hereford cows.  Reese is a member of Masons Zenith Lodge 202 in Tulare and South Dakota Herford Association.  He earned his 2-year Ag Degree from SDSU.  “My vision for Wheat Growers is to grow customer support by providing services with knowledgeable employees, while providing those employees all the tools necessary to succeed in a competitive environment.” 

 

District 3

Director Candidates:  

Mark Bushfield
Hitchcock, SD

 Mark, 59, farms with his wife, Mary Ellen.  He has been farming for 32 years and currently raises corn, soybeans, alfalfa and grass and has a cow/calf operation.  Mark earned his Bachelor of Science degree from SDSU in Plant Science and was a Field Agronomist for four years.  He is also a member of the Broadland Community Cemetery Board, local Township Board and was a past school board member for 6 years.  “My vision is that Wheat Growers would be financially and ethically strong.  That each board member, department, location and employee would always work with the patron owners with their best interest in mind.  I would want Wheat Growers to have good, safe, reliable facilities and equipment, competitive prices and most up to date information and advice available in its agronomy, grain and precision ag departments.  I want Wheat Growers to always seek new opportunities to offer new services and quickly respond to new and changing needs of its patrons.  I have been a Wheat Growers Board Member for the past 9 years, Finance Committee member for 5 years and Strategic Outlook Committee member for 2 years.”
Matt Micheel
Cavour, SD		 Matt, 38, graduated from Mitchell Technical Institute with a degree in Architectural Drafting and Building Construction.  Matt farms with his father and uncle and together they raise corn and soybeans and operate a cow/calf operation with a back grounding program.  Matt is also a member of Lake Area Corn Processors.  His vision for Wheat Growers for the next three years is “to continue to be profitable while improving services to our patrons.”
Delegate Candidates:  
Darby Fast
Iroquois, SD		  
John Hoffmann
Wessington, SD		 John, 52, raises corn, beans and alfalfa and has a cow and calf operation along with back grounding calves.  He graduated from Mitchell Technical Institute and was the manager of Farmland Building Supply.  John is also a member of Cenex Farmers Union Oil Company, Farmland Building Supply, Dakota Energy and Venture Communications.  “I would like to see Wheat Growers continue to be a competitive grain buyer and grow internal business within the agronomy program.”  
Eric Zell
Cavour, SD		 Eric, 37, earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Ag Business from SDSU.  He and his wife grow corn, soybeans and wheat and raise Angus and black/white face cattle.  His vision for Wheat Growers for the next three years is “to serve its customers changing needs and remain competitive in the marketplace.” 

 

District 4

Director Candidates:  

Dale Swanson
Pukwana, SD

 Dale, 62, and his son grow corn and soybeans and operate a feedlot.  His vision for Wheat Growers for the next three years is “to provide the technology, products and services to make our patron’s operations more profitable."
Delegate Candidates:  
Scott Biskeborn
Chamberlain, SD		 Scott, 36, earned a Bachelor of Science in Agronomy from SDSU and completed the U.S. Army Combined Logistics Career Course.  He raises corn, beans and wheat and operates a cow/calf operation along with back grounding cattle.  Scott is a member of the South Dakota National Guard, ASA and ACG.  Scott’s vision for Wheat Growers is to “assist patrons in capturing high grain prices and competitive markets, while managing input costs; to remain aggressive in growing territories and not just sitting to wait and see what happens; and to stay true to its roots and patrons and have a leadership team that is in touch with that.” 
Jonathan Hurd
Rockham, SD		 Jonathan, 29, farms with his father, Larry, and grandfather, Wilbur. They raise corn, soybeans, winter wheat and spring wheat.  Jonathan earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from South Dakota School of Mines and Technology.  For three years, he was a Transmission Design Engineer for Caterpillar.  Jonathan is also a member of South Dakota Corn Growers Association.  His vision for Wheat Growers for the next three years is to “continuously improve market access for local commodities, strengthen coop/farmer relationships through agronomy and business management services and improve public perception of Wheat Growers.”
Jerry Busch
Kennebec, SD		 Jerry, 63, started farming in 1978 and currently farms with his father-in-law where they raise wheat, corn, milo, sunflowers and hay.  Jerry attended SDSU, trade school for drafting, spent 8 years as a draftsman for the South Dakota Highway Department and has also done carpentry work.  He served on the Board of Directors for Farmer’s Elevator for 5 years and FSA county committee for 11 years.  Jerry’s vision for Wheat Growers for the next three years – “I see Wheat Growers expanding its reach by developing more contacts with exporters especially those on the West Coast, but maintaining its focus on upkeep and improving local elevators.”  

 

District 5

Director Candidates:  

Steve Pfeifer
McLaughlin, SD

 Steve, 55, has been farming and ranching for the past 35 years.  He and his daughter, Sam, raise corn, spring wheat, sunflowers and operate a cow/calf operation.  Steve served 12 years as a Cenex Board Member.  Steve’s vision for Wheat Growers for the next three years is “to grow and understand producer’s needs and to do that profitability.” 
Delegate Candidates:  
William Plush
McLaughlin, SD		 Williams, 50, raises wheat, sunflowers, and canola and operates a small cow/calf operation.  He was a former Cenex Director.  His vision for Wheat Growers for the next three years is to “expand storage capacity and be more price competitive.”
Dwight Schlepp
  Ashley, ND		 Dwight, 54, farms with his sons, Matt and Ben.  Together they raise corn, soybeans, spring wheat and have a cow/calf operation.  Dwight has been farming for 33 years.
Eric Thomas
  Bowdle, SD		 Eric, 41, raises corn, beans, spring and winter wheat and also does custom seeding and combining.  In 1992, he attended Lake Area Technical Institute for diesel mechanics.  Eric’s vision for Wheat Growers for the next three years is to “keep it up and coming with the times and continue to grow.”         

 

 

Questions? Please contact your director or delegate. You can also contact Val Weisser at the Administrative Office at 605-725-8341. If you have not received your ballot, please call the Administrative Office immediately.