Mark Gross
SD Corn Growers Association
• At-Large
Mark Gross is a fourth-generation producer on his family’s diversified crop and livestock farm in Hutchinson County. The operation consists of corn, soybeans, wheat, alfalfa, grass hay and a cow/calf beef operation. In addition to farming, Gross is a seed adviser for Golden Harvest Seeds and is the owner of the Seed Mill in Bridgewater.
Growing up on the farm, Gross always knew that farming was his life’s ambition. In 1993, his father’s health created a need for Gross to step into the primary role by taking the reins of the family farm, a heritage that started in 1882. Gross brought a new generation of business mindedness to the farm as he also holds a bachelor of arts degree in business administration from Augustana College.
Gross has been a member on the South Dakota Corn Utilization Council since 2009 and served as vice president before being elected president in January 2014. He also has served on the South Dakota Corn Growers Association board of directors since January 2007 and is past vice president and president.
He is the past vice-chairman of the South Dakota Value-Added Finance Authority Board, which administered tax-exempt bond programs for agricultural projects. Gross currently serves as the FSA State Technical Committee chair. He is also a past president of the Bridgewater Farmers Union Co-op and serves as township clerk.
In his spare time, Gross enjoys spending time with his family and traveling.
He and his wife, Stacy, have four children: Kaylee, Alexis, Landon and Allison.