FROM WEST BEADLE COUNTY ECHO
WOLSEY — Soybean farmers cast their votes to elect the next director of the South Dakota Soybean Research & Promotion Council (SDSRPC). David Struck of rural Wolsey emerged as the winner over James “JD” Wangsness of Hand County, to fill a seat on the District 5 board.
Struck is a fourth-generation farmer, living on the family farm he grew up on, two and a half miles west of Wolsey. His son, Brady and wife, Brenda are both actively involved in the family operation. “Brenda handles the tracking of grain inventories and field records,” he says. “My dad, Duane, is still involved.”
He has been raising soybeans since the late 1970s, and for 35 years, he was in the registered angus business, selling bred heifers and two-year-old bulls. “In 2008 I got out of the cow business so he could concentrate on farming, and today my primary focus is growing corn, soybeans and a little bit of wheat,” said Struck.
Struck looks forward to serving on the SDSRPC board and sees the director’s position as a platform to get the message out to the non-agricultural population of how vital agriculture is to every citizen. “Most consumers are too far removed from the farm and don’t realize what it takes to produce food. The American farmer is good at what we do, which means most Americans don’t need to worry about where their food comes from. Because the SDSRPC board is made up of farmers, we have first-hand knowledge of the work that goes into raising our quality product and can help get our story out.”
Struck says he appreciates the people who voted for him and he will do his best to make things better. “It’s a challenging time in the industry, and I hope to be able to make a difference. I will use this opportunity to promote South Dakota soybeans and the farmers who raise them.”
District 5 of the SDSRPC includes the counties of Beadle, Jerauld, Hand, Hyde, Hughes, Buffalo, Lyman, Gregory, Tripp, Jones, Mellette, Todd, Haakon, Jackson, Bennett, Pennington, Shannon, Custer and Fall River.
PHOTO COURTESY OF WEST BEADLE COUNTY ECHO David Struck of rural Wolsey sees his recent election to the District 5 Board of the South Dakota Soybean Research & Promotion Council as a platform to get the message out to the non-agricultural population of how vital agriculture is to every citizen.
