Four farmers and ranchers from South Dakota and North Dakota are the 2012 recipients of the Dakota Farmer's Master Farmer Award

Winners are:

•Ernest Krabbenhoft, a Red River Valley sugarbeet and grain farmer from Argusville, N.D. He has also run stock cows in Killdeer Mountains in western North Dakota and raised quarter horses.

•Ricky Lawlar operates a diversified grain and cattle ranch in western North Dakota's oil country. During different times in his farming career, the Waterford City, N.D., producer worked in oil fields in North Dakota and Alaska.

David Iverson

•John Sumption, a north central South Dakota grain grower, cow-calf producer and cattle feeder from Frederick, S.D. His passion is community building.

•David Iverson, an eastern South Dakota corn and soybean grower from Toronto, S.D., who has traveled to Africa, Asia and Latin America on missions to feed the hungry and build markets for soybeans.

Master Farmer is the oldest farmer recognition program in the U.S. It is currently conducted in 11 states in the U.S., by the Farm Progress Companies, publisher of Dakota Farmer.

The Master Farmer program recognizes active farmers and ranchers -- men and women -- for their farm and grain management achievements, their civic and industry contributions and other good works.

You can nominate someone for the 2013 award. Send an email to [email protected] explaining why your nominee deserves recognition. Any individual -- man or woman -- who is an active farmer is eligible.