There are some new names making headlines across North and South Dakota this year. Get to know the 2018 Pig Farmer of Tomorrow, the latest executive director of South Dakota Soybean, and three newly-appointed members of the North Dakota Rural Development Council:

South Dakotan named Pig Farmer of Tomorrow
Adam Krause, Clear Lake, S.D., is one of National Pork Board’s 2018 Pig Farmers of Tomorrow. The award recognizes farm leaders, ages 18-29, who intend to make pig farming their life’s work and who are committed to raising pigs using the pork industry’s We Care ethical principles. Krause is the fourth generation on his family farm near Clear Lake, S.D. He owns a pig nursery barn and grows corn, soybeans and wheat. “I’m excited to share my story with the public,” he says. “As farmers, we must share with consumers what we do on the farm every day to provide the best care for our pigs.”

New South Dakota Soybean director

NEW HIRE: Michael D. "Mit" Goblirsch is the new South Dakota Soybean executive director.

Michael D. "Mit" Goblirsch is the new executive director of the South Dakota Soybean Research and Promotion Council, and the South Dakota Soybean Association. Goblirsch is a West Point graduate who got his start working for Cargill, ConAgra and the U.S.  Bio Energy Corporation. In 2008, he was hired to promote international exports of soybeans for the U.S. Soybean Export Council. Goblirsch lived and worked in several Middle East nations and South Asia. Most recently, Goblirsch worked as a commodity futures and options broker-trader for Commstock Investments.

North Dakota farmers, rancher appointed
Gov. Doug Burgum has appointed two farmers and one rancher to the North Dakota Rural Development Council, which he reconvened in December to support the development of rural communities through collaboration between government and the nonprofit and private sectors. The farmers are Janne Myrdal, of Edinburg, a farmer and state senator; Luke Anderson, of Forman, a farmer with Anderson Seed Farms Inc; and Jay Doan of McKenzie, a rancher with Black Leg Ranch.

Sources: National Pork Board, SD Soybean and the ND Governor’s Office.