A Letter From Your SDCGA President: Dave Ellens (Spring 2024)

Looking back on the past few months, it’s hard to pick just a few things to talk about that we’ve been working on at the South Dakota Corn Growers Association. One event that I want to highlight is the 38th Annual South Dakota Corn Conference that was held on January 20th.

Despite the frigid temperature, it was great to see so many growers come to the daytime educational sessions and get updates about grain markets, weather and ethanol from industry leading experts. The networking and interaction between growers within our state really makes this a special event.

The evening banquet always makes me feel extreme pride in our organization and the direction we are headed. It also excites me to see where our industry is going in the future; highlighting and awarding organizations and people in the state who have done so much to advocate for corn growers. We also recognized 18 Corn Yield Contest winners who are state leaders in innovative and sustainable practices to improve their land’s productivity.

One of my favorite parts of the evening is seeing the support from South Dakota dignitaries who take time out of their busy schedules to attend our event. We were appreciative that U.S. Senator Mike Rounds could join us at our Friday night board reception, and I’ll take this opportunity to once again thank Governor Kristi Noem, U.S. Senator John Thune and U.S. Representative Dusty Johnson for attending Saturday’s evening banquet. To see them encourages me that what we are doing in this organization is making an impact and a difference for our corn farmers.

Here’s to a mild end to winter and a friendly welcome to spring for a successful planting season.