Eminent Leaders in Agriculture, Family and ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ
Sponsored by the College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences and the College of Education and Human Sciences, the Eminent Leaders in Agriculture, Family and ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ program honors leaders who have influenced their communities, the state and the nation. These people, their homes, families, farms or ranches are an integral part of the state of South Dakota.
The next award celebration is scheduled for Friday, Sept. 18, 2026 at McCrory Gardens in Brookings. Please direct questions to Angela Loftesness.
Eminent Leaders in Agriculture, Family and ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ are nominated by people in their community and have not applied for this honor. The honorees have gone the extra mile and given unselfishly of their time, talent and leadership to enhance their homes, churches, community organizations, schools and agriculture, resulting in a betterment of family, communities, the state and the nation.
Nominations are accepted throughout the year, with an annual cutoff date of May 1 for the September recognition event. Instructions are included on the nomination form. Nominations remain in the selection pool for five years and may be updated by the nominator at any time.
Eminent Leader in Agriculture, Family and ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ Honorees
| Year | Name | Award | County |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jeff Lakner | Eminent Leader in Agriculture, Family, and ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ | Hand | |
| Greg Moes | Eminent Leader in Agriculture, Family, and ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ | Codington | |
| Reid Christopherson | Eminent Leader in Agriculture, Family, and ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ | Minnehaha | |
| Wallace Knock | Eminent Leader in Agriculture, Family, and ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ | Clark | |
| Pam Geppert | Eminent Leader in Agriculture, Family, and ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ | Brule | |
| Brad Greenway | Eminent Leader in Agriculture, Family, and ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ | Davison | |
| Floyd Hansmeier | Eminent Leader in Agriculture, Family, and ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ | Day | |
| Steven Rommereim | Eminent Leader in Agriculture, Family, and ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ | Union | |
| Neil Bien | Eminent Leader in Agriculture, Family, and ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ | Marshall | |
| Kim Vannemann | Eminent Leader in Agriculture, Family, and ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ | Tripp | |
| Bryan Jorgensen | Eminent Leader in Agriculture, Family, and ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ | Tripp | |
| Delores Henderson | Eminent Leader in Agriculture, Family, and ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ | Lincoln | |
| Walt Bones III | Eminent Leader in Agriculture, Family, and ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ | Turner | |
| Laron Krause | Eminent Leader in Agriculture, Family, and ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ | Deuel | |
| Lawrence Vander Wal | Eminent Leader in Agriculture, Family, and ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ | Brookings | |
| Ree Reich | Eminent Leader in Agriculture, Family, and ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ | Butte | |
| Donna Adrian | Eminent Leader in Agriculture, Family, and ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ | Mellette | |
| Gary Cammack | Eminent Leader in Agriculture, Family, and ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ | Meade | |
| Ludwig Hohm | Eminent Leader in Agriculture, Family, and ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ | Beadle | |
| Ann Vostad | Eminent Leader in Agriculture, Family, and ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ | Brookings | |
| Mary Bjerke | Eminent Homemaker | Brookings | |
| Susan VanderWal | Eminent Homemaker | Brookings | |
| Doug Hanson | Eminent Farmer/Rancher | Union | |
| Orrin Korth | Eminent Farmer | Codington | |
| John Moes | Eminent Farmer/Rancher | Codington |
The Eminent Leaders in Agriculture, Family and ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ program began in 1927 with the recognition of two Eminent Farmers by South Dakota State College, now ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ. The following year, the program was expanded with the addition of two Eminent Homemaker honorees. In the early years, the Eminent Farmer and Homemaker awards were much like honorary degrees. In the 1950s, the purpose of the program was clarified and the awards were designated as a very high honor, uniquely different from honorary degrees.
This program has been continuous since 1927 with the exception of 1942, 1943, 1945 and 2020. In 2011, the name was changed to Eminent Farmer/Rancher and Homemaker. In 2018, the full name of the award program was changed to Eminent Leaders in Agriculture, Family and ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ.
Dig deeper into the history of this program by checking out these materials.