SD Wheat Commission

In July 2011, Governor Daugaard appointed Leo Warrington, Bristol, SD, to the South Dakota Wheat Commission Board of Directors.

Warrington has been farming since 1973. He presently farms 1,000 acres in a crop rotation that includes wheat, corn and soybeans. Warrington has operated a seed cleaning facility in Bristol since 1990 and is a Seed Associate with AgriPro (Sygentia) and WestBred (Monsanto).

He has served on the Foundation Seed Board of Directors and been a long time member of his local Crop Improvement Association and the SD Crop Improvement Association. He is a member of the Midwest Shippers Association and has held positions on both his local school and township boards.

Warrington is a partner in CW Associates, a company that has successfully shipped food grade beans and wheat to foreign buyers. “My experiences in selling both seed and containerized agriculture products has given me a good understanding of how the identity preserved markets operate,” says Warrington. “Today’s consumer is asking more and more ‘Where does our food come from?’ and we need to provide them with that information.”

He sees problems associated with transportation as a producer’s biggest obstacle. “We need to develop a system whereby railroad containers can access South Dakota vast array of quality agriculture products and delivery them to people that are willing to pay for that quality.”

“I think the wheat industry is entering an exciting time. We will see changes in the next five to ten years that are phenomenal. The introduction of new traits into wheat is going to change our operations dramatically. I am pleased to be a part of the Commission,” says Warrington, “since many of these issues will be on the Commission agenda in the coming years.”

Warrington and his wife Diane have two married sons and five grandchildren. Both of his sons are involved in agriculture.

In August 2007, Governor Rounds appointed Chet Edinger to the South Dakota Wheat Commission. Edinger farms with his brother as part of the Edinger Brothers Partnership. He and his family live in Mitchell but farm in Aurora County with some land in Davison and Sanborn counties.

Edinger Brothers Partnership is a crop only operation that specializes in raising wheat, corn, beans and sunflowers with some peas, millet and milo.

Edinger comes to the Commission well prepared to address issues facing South Dakota producers having served as the vice-president and president of South Dakota Wheat Inc. Board of Directors. SD Wheat Inc. is a membership-based agriculture association that concentrates on all aspects of agriculture production and rural life. As an office in the state association, Edinger has held several committee positions on the National Association of Wheat Growers (NAWG) Board of Directors.

“It may take me a short time to acquaint myself with the details of the Commission’s work,” says Edinger, ‘but the big picture I already understand very well. Making the production of wheat a profitable occupation is very important to me.”

As a producer Edinger especially appreciates the benefits of checkoff dollars invested in research. “The variety development at South Dakota State University has resulted in increased yields,” says Edinger. “This dramatic jump in yields would not be possible without strong breeding programs. Breeding programs that cost producers very little compared to the technical fees that for-profit seed companies charge.”

While on the Board of Directors for NAWG, Edinger worked hard to increase the coordination and communication between NAWG and US Wheat Associates, the wheat industry’s overseas market development association. “Over the past eight years, I have seen increased coordination between the two wheat organizations and expect this trend to continue. We need to look at ways of optimize the strengths of both groups so that producers get top-rate return on their investments.”

In October 2012, Terry Hand was appointed by Governor Daugaard to serve on the South Dakota Wheat Commission. Hand, along with his two brothers Michael and David, raise spring and winter wheat, sunflowers, corn and milo near Midland, SD. In addition, the family runs a cow/calf and back grounding operation. The Hands also have an official advisor, their father James David Hand.

Hand brings several decades of farming experience to the position. After attending South Dakota State University and obtaining a degree in Ag Business he returned to the farm and has been farming ever since.

Hand, along with Clint Vanneman, represents the western, winter wheat part of the state. South Dakota has a special geographical significance because it is at the interface of the southern and northern areas of wheat production. This requires that winter wheat adapted to the state be able to resist new disease pathogen races that generally develop in the southern region of the United States and spread northward. “South Dakota winter wheat varieties represent some of the most disease resistant germplasm in the region, particularly resistance to scab,” says Hand. “It’s important to continue to focus variety development on maintaining and improving disease resistance while developing varieties that can produce in the drier parts of our state.”

Breeding programs make up the majority of the Commission research dollars. “I am particularly interested the development of white wheat varieties,” says Hand. “We have two excellent varieties, Alice and Wendy, which are well suited to the West River environment and have excellent yields. The market seems to be expanding, but until United States producers cross that point of critical mass, the demand is not there.”

Hand believes all farmers should take an active part in developing checkoff programs which supports production, variety research, market development, and education. “I believe all farmers should learn more about what the Commission is doing with their check off dollars to better enhance our markets and improve marketing opportunities.”

Hand and his wife, an agronomist, have two young sons.

In August 2010 Governor Rounds appointed Clint Vanneman, a wheat producer from Ideal, SD, to the South Dakota Wheat Commission Board of Directors.

“This is an exciting time to be in production agriculture,” says Vanneman. “There are significant challenges facing us and I look forward to working on initiatives to address these issues.”

According to Vanneman, another significant challenge will be funding of the USDA Market Access Program (MAP). “This program encourages the development and expansion of commercial export markets for agricultural commodities and is vital to the wheat industry. Since half of the wheat produced in the United States is exported, the importance of demonstrating the quality of our wheat and opening new markets cannot be overstated.”

Recently the FAS Office of Trade Programs, “Export Programs at Work” featured three examples of successful wheat export promotions. The first example detailed the results of an econometric study showing a profitable return of $23 in net revenue to wheat producers, and $115 in gross revenue to the U.S. economy, for every $1 invested in wheat export promotion between 2000 and 2007. The other examples focus on building and maintaining a large U.S. wheat market in Nigeria and an effort to work with new flour mills in Indonesia to increase U.S. wheat sales in a market dominated by Australian wheat exports.

”I expect that this year’s funding for MAP will be questioned as the government looks for ways to cut spending,” says Vanneman. “But we need to be realistic and look at the benefits of agricultural exports. Despite the global recession U.S. agricultural exports increased by 78 percent in the past five years; this increase is valued at an estimated $31.4 billion.”

Vanneman points to the versatility of wheat as one of its strongest points. Wheat is the primary grain used in U.S. grain products—approximately three-quarters of all U.S. grain products are made from wheat flour. Wheat flour is an ingredient in tens of thousands of food products. Breads, pizza crust, pretzels, cereals, muffins, crackers, tortillas, cakes, cookies, pasta and rolls are just a few examples. Wheat is America’s most-consumed grain, and plays a prominent role in many international cuisines.

Vanneman, a third generation family farmer, runs a cow/calf and a hog finishing operation in addition to raising wheat, milo, corn and soybeans. He and his wife, Kim, have three grown children with their youngest son being a senior in high school this year.

Darrell Davis, Ipswich, was appointed to the South Dakota Wheat Commission by Governor Rounds in August 2005.

Davis is a fifth generation family farmer. He has been farming for over 28 years and is actively involved all areas of production and marketing. Davis Farms consists of approximately 10,000 acres of farmland. Wheat, corn, and soybeans make up 3,500 acres with the remainder in grass and hay. They also have a cow/calf herd.

Davis believes strongly in value added agriculture because he sees it as a way to keep rural communities vibrant. “We need to stop the exodus of families leaving the farm. Rural communities are great places to raise a family. We need to promote these communities as great places for light industry or high technology communication businesses,” says Davis.

He has been recognized for his willingness to reinvest in the communities that his local elevator serves. For 19 years, he served on the board of North Central Farmers Elevator (NCFE). During Davis’ tenure as director and board president of NCFE additional grain storage was constructed and drying and handling capacities were increased at several locations including 1.2 million-bushel storage in Craven, SD, along with the 110-unit train loadout, 8,500 bushels-per-hour drying capacity, and 4.0 million-bushel piling system. The cooperative also made significant reinvestment in Ipswich.

In addition to his contributions to NCFE, Davis has served on numerous church committees and helped with youth fellowship. He is a graduate of South Dakota Agriculture and Rural Leadership (SDARL), a program dedicated to advancing leadership in agriculture and rural communities.

“I believe promotion of SD wheat and wheat products will add opportunities for value-added agriculture, thus increasing employment opportunities for our youth and encouraging them to remain in the State,” Davis says. “It is an honor to be able to serve our state agriculture through the SD Wheat Commission.”

He and his wife, Sylvia, have two grown sons, Justin and Nathan, who both work in the ag industry.