18 Month Program

Krystil Smit is the Executive Director of South Dakota Farm Bureau. She has been involved in the agriculture industry her entire life, having grown up on a diversified crop and livestock operation. She was an active FFA and 4-H member and served as the State 4-H President. After graduating from South Dakota State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Agriculture Journalism and an Animal Science minor, she became the editor of the regional agriculture publication Tri-State Neighbor. Krystil has also held director roles in communications and public relations for the South Dakota Corn Growers Association/SD Corn Utilization Council and Paulsen Marketing. Krystil has held several organizational board positions including with the Stockyards Ag Experience Barn, Sioux Empire Staters, Sioux Empire Fair Board, First National Bank Sioux Falls Next Generation, Sioux Falls Chamber Ag Committee and Turner County Fair Next Generation, along with other community and church leadership roles. Krystil is a non-alumni representative on the SDARL board.

Dr. Rebecca Rink joined Dakota Provisions in June 2018 as Director of Veterinary Services where she provides bird health and welfare consultation/services, develops biosecurity plans, implements training, and generally advocates for the 44 Hutterite growers that own and provide turkeys to the DP processing plant located in Huron, SD.

Rebecca grew up near Aberdeen, SD on a hay and cattle operation that her father and brother still operate.  She was very active in 4-H and enjoyed showing and judging livestock.  She attended SDSU for two years before moving to Sacramento, California.  After obtaining her California residency she finished her BS in Animal Science at the University of California, Davis.  She then attended the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine where she received her DVM degree in 1995.

After graduating from veterinary school, Rebecca returned to South Dakota to work for the Huron Veterinary Hospital as an associate and eventually became a partner.  In 2002 she opened her own veterinary practice in Huron which she sold in 2009.  After taking a few years off from practice to raise a family, she began providing veterinary consulting for MidWest Ag of Watertown and Aberdeen.  In 2016 MidWest Ag purchased a clinic in Clark, SD and Rebecca managed that clinic for two years before leaving for her position with Dakota Provisions.  She is licensed to practice veterinary medicine in South Dakota, North Dakota and Minnesota.

Rebecca was a member of SDARL Class VI.  She is active in the James Valley Christian School community and Bethel Church of Yale, SD.  She is a member of the American Association of Veterinary Medicine, the South Dakota Veterinary Medical Association, the Association of Veterinarians in Turkey Production, and the American Association of Avian Pathologists.  She is currently pursuing certification as an animal welfare auditor through the Professional Animal Auditor Certification Organization.

Terry Jaspers of Sisseton is an alumnus of SDARL Class III was elected to the SDARL Foundation Board of Directors in June 2022. This is his second time serving on the SDARL Foundation Board of Directors. He is retired as the Financial Officer after 43 years of service with Farm Credit Services of America. In addition, he operates a small-scale cash grain farming operation.

Along with his new role with SDARL, Terry also serves as Mayor of Sisseton SD. He is chairman of the Board of Directors for Coteau Des Prairies Health Care System in Sisseton SD.  He’s also active in St Peters Catholic Church Sisseton.

Terry Jaspers resides in Sisseton SD with his wife Sandi. They have three grown daughters.

Heather Niederwerder is an Insurance Services Officer with Farm Credit Services of America.  Throughout the last 21+ year, Heather’s knowledge and experience working with producers in Western South Dakota has elevated her as a partner in her customer’s team of trusted advisors.   She is passionate about providing financial and risk management advice to many different producers to keep their operations viable in the volatile conditions they face.

Heather grew up learning about crops and cattle from her father, as well as, the hay grinding business from her grandfather.  She and her husband, Marty, live near Hereford and have a deep love of agriculture and a commitment to preserving this way of life.  They operated a small cow/calf operation and now provide trucking services to farmers and ranchers.

An alumni and class president of SDARL Class X, Heather spends time volunteering for many different ag and youth causes.  She is active in the Black Hills Stock Show Ranch Rodeo, the New Underwood Community Church, and FFA judging schools.

Eric Jennings owns and operates a beef cattle ranch with his wife, Michelle, in Spearfish, SD, living in the house he grew up in. After graduating from South Dakota State University with a degree in Agricultural Education, he taught vocational agriculture in Lennox, SD for two years before returning to his family’s ranch in 1988.  Because the ranch included land in the Black Hills National Forest and along Spearfish Creek, Eric has been active in protecting private property and public grazing rights, and educating the public on how responsible management of these lands can contribute to the ecological health of the land.  As a life-time learner, Eric has attended many seminars and workshops along with graduating from South Dakota Agriculture and Rural Leadership (SDARL) and receiving training as a Conflict Resolution Facilitator.  Eric has had leadership roles in many organizations over the past years.  He currently serves on the Board of Directors of SDARL, Northern Hills Sources of Support, Spearfish Rural Fire Protection District, South Dakota Cattlemen Association, Black Hills Regional Multiple Use Coalition, and Society of Black Hills Pioneers.  Eric is also involved with United Methodist Church and the Masonic Lodge.

Daniel “Dan” Warren is the fourth generation to live on the family ranch south of Rapid City, SD.  Dan’s great grandfather started ranching in 1894.  As a young child, Dan worked on the ranch in the summers and has always had a great love for ranching and the rural life.

After graduating from NCB (National College of Business) with a Bachelor of Science degree in Agri-Business, Dan took a job as a salesman for a local lumber company.  In the spring of 1982 Dan founded Warren Window & Supply and operated the company for the next 36 years.  In 1984 he purchased the ranch from his uncle and father and in 2001 he and his wife Paula moved to the ranch where they currently reside.

Dan has served on a number of boards over the years including Rapid City Area Chamber of Commerce, Youth and Family Services, Rapid City Convention and Visitors Bureau, Black Hills Stock Show Foundation, Central States Fair, Association of Millwork Distributors, and currently serves on the Crazy Horse Memorial Foundation and YFS Foundation.  Dan and his wife of 43 years Paula have three daughters and 5 grand children.

Craig Schaunaman is a fourth generation Farmer/Rancher in Brown County. He has been actively involved in agriculture for over 40 years. Beginning in 1977 he farmed with both his father and brother. For the last 24 years he and his brother have operated a farming partnership near the Aberdeen area. Craig attended Aberdeen Central High School and Northern State University. From 1988-1998 Craig was elected to five consecutive terms in the South Dakota Legislature. In 2009 Craig was appointed to serve as the South Dakota State Executive Director for the USDA Farm Service Agency until 2017. Craig has also served on numerous state and local boards including Heartland Grain Fuels, Dakota Fuels, Aberdeen Development Corporation, and the Brown County Drainage Board. He currently serves on the Ag Advisory Board for the First Dakota National Bank.

Ross Tschetter farms with his family near Bridgewater, South Dakota. Ross is a graduate of First Dakota National Bank’s Agrivisions Beginning Farmer Rancher Program, South Dakota Agricultural and Rural Leadership Class VII, DuPont Pioneer’s NextGen Producers Program, and Texas A&M University Extension’s The Executive Program for Ag Producers.

Ross is a past member of the Bush Foundation’s South Dakota Advisory Committee and the SDARL Leadership Committee.  He has served in numerous leadership roles at Salem MB Church, including Chair of Trustees and Finance Committee. Ross belongs to several agriculture and conservation organizations, including South Dakota Cattlemen’s Association, South Dakota Grassland Coalition, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, and Backcountry Hunters and Anglers.

Bill Even is the Chief Executive Officer for the National Pork Board based in Des Moines, IA. Prior to his employment with the National Pork Board, Bill served as the Global Industry Relations Lead for DuPont Pioneer where he managed the global corporate engagement strategy focusing on collaborative stakeholder relationships in the areas of seed, biotechnology, biofuels and farm policy. Bill also served as Commercial Unit Lead for DuPont Pioneer in South Dakota, North Dakota and northwest Minnesota. In that role, he was responsible for leading the seed sales, marketing, agronomy, training, research, production and policy needs in the region. Before joining DuPont Pioneer, Bill served as South Dakota Secretary of Agriculture from 2007 to 2010. During his tenure as Secretary of Agriculture, Bill managed six department divisions: Agriculture Regulatory Services, Agriculture Development, State Fair, Wildland Fire, Resource Conservation and Forestry, and Agricultural Policy. Bill also served as Deputy Secretary of Tourism and State Development, Director of the Governor’s Office of Economic Development, State Energy Policy Director, and Policy Advisor for Governor Mike Rounds.

Bill holds a degree in Agricultural Production from Lake Area Technical Institute, a Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Business and minor in Economics from South Dakota State University; and a Juris Doctorate from Drake University Law School, where he was an Opperman Scholar.

Matt Dybedahl is a Seed District Sales Manager for WinField United, working with growers and retailers in central and western South Dakota to optimize their acres.  Originally from Colton, Matt graduated from South Dakota State University in 2011, where he was a member of FarmHouse Fraternity, Block and Bridle, Agriculture Future of America, the Meat and Animal Evaluation Team, and Ag Bio.  Growing up, he was actively involved in 4-H and FFA and now likes to give back to those organizations by serving as the Ag Sales Career Development Event Chair and helps with other local events.  He is also currently a member of the South Dakota Cattlemen’s Association and South Dakota Ag Business Association.  In his spare time, he enjoys fishing on the Missouri River, hunting, 4-wheeling, traveling, and attending SDSU football and basketball games. He is an alumni of SDARL Class IX and represents his class as President, and lives in Pierre with his wife Sarah.

If you want to know where agri-marketing is going, ask Sara. She’s already seen it, studied it, and figured out how excelling in digital spaces can help rural brands stand apart. Sara served as president of Paulsen from 2014 through 2021 before transitioning into her current role of Chief Technology Officer to further advance the agency’s impact in that arena.

Sara, a University of South Dakota alumna, was raised on a row-crop and livestock farm in southeastern South Dakota and joined Paulsen as a graphic designer in 1991. Her resume includes experience as a web developer and VP of Digital Services at Paulsen. She also served for seven years on the National Agri-Marketing (NAMA) Executive Committee, with two years as president of the professional organization. During her career, Sara was awarded the NAMA Marketer of the Year, the South Dakota Ad Federation Creative Legacy Award, and the Sioux Falls Business Journal Top Innovator of the Year.

Sara and her husband, John, have been married for 30 years, living on the land that has been in the Steever family since 1889. They have two children, John Thomas, a Mechanical Design Engineer for Sioux Steel in Lennox, SD, and Elizabeth, a Quality Assurance Team Lead for Schreiber Foods in Green Bay, WI. Because she doesn’t have enough on her plate, Sara and her husband also own and operate a rural bed-and-breakfast called The Steever House.

John Melius joined Hurley & Associates in January of 2006 and is currently the Branch Manager of the Brookings office and member of the Hurley leadership team. The firm is dedicated to helping producers make logical business-minded marketing decisions for their operation, which leads to the economic stability of farm families and their communities. During his tenure with Hurley & Associates, the Brookings location has grown from 2 employees to 18 and serves clients throughout South Dakota and the surrounding states. John grew up near Chelsea SD on a grain and cattle operation where his parents still farm. He obtained BS degrees in Ag Economics and Ag Business from South Dakota State University. John has continued to further his education and insight into agriculture through TEPAP – The Executive Program for Ag Producers – and SDARL, the South Dakota Agricultural & Rural Leadership program, where he was a member of Class VI, and serves as a member of the Foundation Board of Directors and Graduate Committee. John has also held various positions of leadership in his church.