The South Dakota Corn Growers Association recognized outstanding agricultural achievements during the organization’s recent 33rd annual meeting

The association presented its Most Valuable Player Award to Jeff Zimprich, state conservationist with the Natural Resources Conservation Service of South Dakota.

The Excellence in Agriculture Award posthumously recognized the late Al Miron, a former South Dakota Corn Utilization Council director from Sioux Falls, S.D.

The association also presented its Legislative Leadership Award to State Rep. Kent Peterson of Salem, S.D., and its Public Outreach Award to Jarrett Renshaw of Reuters news service.

South Dakota Corn also honored seven retiring directors of its boards for their service: Troy Knecht of Houghton, S.D., served on the board since 2010 and was president; Keith Alverson of Chester, S.D., served on the board since 2010 and is past president; Steve Halverson of Pierre served since 2016; Mike Bob Schmidt of Pierre, S.D., was an industry representative from Farm Credit Services of America; and Mike Nickolas of Aberdeen, S.D., was an industry representative from Agtegra Cooperative.

Retiring members of the SDCUC board: Reno Brueggeman of Miller, S.D., served the board since 2013 and is past president; Nick Jorgensen of Ideal, S.D., served on the board since 2014.

Jeff Zimprich
As head of the South Dakota office of the Natural Resources Conservation Service, Zimprich provides overall leadership in helping people conserve, maintain and improve natural resources and the environment.

The NRCS and South Dakota Corn have partnered in several programs and projects focused on sustainability and improving soil health. The partners also created a sustainability director position to work with farmers on conservation programs, perform public outreach and conduct research trials.

Zimprich’s 29-year conservation career includes jobs in Montana, Iowa and at NRCS national headquarters. As state conservationist, the South Dakota native has made it a priority to develop and nurture strong relationships with agricultural groups.

Al Miron
The Corn Growers recognized Miron for his significant contributions to the agriculture industry. Throughout his lifetime, he maintained a strong passion for preservation of soil resources. He was an avid promoter of sustainable practices during more than 45 years of farming.

Miron, who had master’s and doctorate degrees in nutrition, served on the South Dakota Corn Utilization Council’s board of directors. He was a valuable and dependable resource for the organization, as well as an exceptional spokesman for agriculture. He was a champion of soil health up until the day he died Nov. 19, 2017. His family accepted the award.

State Rep. Kent Peterson
Peterson was honored for his commitment to agriculture and rural South Dakota as a member of the South Dakota Legislature. A fifth-generation farmer, he has a deep understanding of agriculture, which made him a valuable resource during legislative sessions.

Peterson has been a strong advocate for ethanol. He also led legislative efforts to approve the Raven Precision Agriculture Center project at South Dakota State University.

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