South Dakota Corn Growers Association (SDCGA)
Board Members
Kurt Stiefvater- District 3
Kurt Stiefvater has a crop and livestock operation near Salem, S.D., consisting of 750 acres of corn, 750 acres of soybeans and 160 commercial stock cows. Stiefvater started farming full time with his parents in 1997 after attending Mitchel Vo-Tech and obtaining a degree in Agricultural Management.
In 1995, he purchased the home quarter and the line of machinery from his parents. “I always wanted to be a farmer to be able to plant seeds and nurture the crop to harvest,” said Stiefvater. “The outdoors and raising animals provides a feeling of success for me.” Stiefvater came onto the South Dakota Corn Growers board in January of 2005. He also serves as the Richland Township supervisor; officer of the McCook-Miner-Lake Cattlemen’s Association; chairman of the Farm Business Management Advisory Committee at Mitchell Vo-Tech; member of the Soybean Association; and is a member of the South Dakota Ag and Rural Leadership Class II.
Stiefvater says the most important issue facing corn producers today is profitability. “The challenge for today’s corn producer is to make a profit with the shrinking margins in corn production,” said Stiefvater. Stiefvater and his wife, Kathy, have three daughters, Lauren, Megan and Karlie. In his spare time, Stiefvater said he likes to spend time with his family, reading and hunting.