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A Look Back at 2021

Posted on December 29, 2021
A look back at 2021

It seems like the year just started, but 2021 is already coming to a close. From our virtual annual conference at the beginning of the year to the annual association meeting wrapping up the year and setting priorities for next year, South Dakota Corn is looking forward to the new year.

However, we wanted to take a moment and reflect on the past year and all the reasons we have to celebrate, as we made a return to more normal, in-person events and trade shows throughout the year.

You can find many of our highlights and reasons to celebrate in the 2021 annual report. If you have not received it in the mail yet, you can check the report out on our website. It is free to download.

Here are some of the top highlights from the report:

Randy retired!

After over 10 years as a part of our organization, our long-time senior writer Randy Hascall retired. We will miss his wit, guidance, and most of all his never-ending and downright comical practical jokes. Be sure to check out the full annual report for some comments from Randy himself on what his life holds next!

Powerful partnerships

South Dakota Corn emphasizes market development and partnerships with other agriculture organizations at the state and national levels. On behalf of our state’s farmers, we strive to retain, expand and create marketing opportunities for our state’s largest crop.

Organizations we are proud to partner with include:

In our latest report, you can learn more about what some of our partners are doing to help support corn markets, both domestic and foreign, plus how sustainability plays a vital role in our market development partnerships.

Farming in the 605

Technology is changing the way we all get information and this is certainly the case for farmers and ranchers in South Dakota.

In early 2021 South Dakota Corn launched our new podcast, Farming in the 605. The program is hosted by agriculture media personality Mike Pearson and covers a wide variety of topics important to the farming community across the state. The podcast plays on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts and can even be found on our website.

If you have any ideas for future topics we would love to know. Some of the areas covered in previous episodes include:

  • Ethanol
  • Carbon
  • Precision Agriculture
  • Commodity Markets
  • DANR Merger

The podcast is funded via the promotion and education budget of the South Dakota Corn Utilization Council.

Continued commitment to research, promotion and education

Promotion, education and research continue to play a vital role in the mission of South Dakota Corn. Currently, we have multiple research projects ongoing with the American Coalition for Ethanol and South Dakota State University (SDSU). More details on the projects can be found in the annual report.

This year at SDSU also saw the opening of the brand-new Raven Precision Agriculture Center at the University. The new facility is a world-class agriculture education facility that will be an excellent tool for students and researchers to shape the future of agriculture for the world. The SDCUC is one of the primary investors in the project which will provide a state-of-the-art facility for generations to come.

More than just supporting education for our state’s agriculture students and researchers, we are also committed to consumer outreach and education. The newest installment of our “This is Farming” outreach campaign focuses on the idea that everything in agriculture starts with a seed, yet there is so much more to it than that.

Billboard around the state, as well as print ads, digital ads, radio and tv spots, feature colorful animated imagery for the campaign. It is something you won’t want to miss if you haven’t seen it yet.

A bright future for 2022

As an organization, South Dakota Corn is looking forward to the new year with hope and optimism for the future.

This year DaNita Murray took on the role of Executive Director and we are excited for the future of the organization with her as our leader. She is committed to looking ahead and is ready to address the challenges and opportunities that face farmers today.

For more on the organization be sure to download our 2021 Annual Report and check out what we have accomplished in 2021 and what the future holds.

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