South Dakota
Learn More About
South Dakota Farmers
- South Dakota Department of Ag
- South Dakota Cooperative Extension Service
- South Dakota Soybean Research and Promotion Council
- South Dakota Beef Industry Council
- Midwest Dairy Association
- South Dakota Pork Producers Council
- South Dakota Wheat Commission
- South Dakota Corn Utilization Council
Learn More about South Dakota Agriculture
- South Dakota Cattleman's Association
- South Dakota Poultry Industries Association
- South Dakota Farm Bureau
- South Dakota Ag in the Classroom
South Dakota Farmers
Feed US
South Dakota Wheat Farmer
“When you’re farming, you’re producing food for the world.”
Chet EdingerWheat Farmer
Name: Chet Edinger
Location: Mitchell, South Dakota
Years farming: I’ve farmed for 18 years.
My family: I farm with my dad, Wayne, and my brother, Charlie. My brother and I are both married, and between the two of us, we’ve got 10 children.
How I came to be a farmer: Farming is a family business. Dad started farming in 1960. He always gave us kids the option to farm if we would like. However, we had to continue our education and work off the farm for awhile first. Once we gained more “real world” experience we could then come home and work on the farm. After school, I worked in a bank for seven years and then came back to the farm full-time in 1992.
After Charlie was done with school, he worked as an agronomist at a local cooperative for three years, and then came back to the farm in 1995. My brother Charlie and I have a good partnership because I have a business and marketing background and he has an agronomy and science background.
The best thing about being a farmer: What I like best about being a farmer is being self-employed. My brother and I are able to make our own decisions, because it is our business. It is also a good feeling to provide food, fuel, and fiber for others while being able to extend my ability to feed people worldwide.
My personal philosophy on farming: Farming is a family business as well as a food producing company. If we take care of the land, it will take care of us. We would not be able to make a profit if the land is not properly taken care of. If no product can be produced then we would not have a profit, so there would be no business. We try to be the best environmental stewards of the land, so that we and future generations will be able to farm.
Wheat Production in South Dakota and the United States
- There are 3.6 million acres of wheat in South Dakota.
- Wheat is grown in 42 U.S. states but only two produce more than South Dakota.
- Nearly one-fourth of the 31,000 farms in South Dakota grow wheat.
- South Dakota’s agriculture industry has a $21.3 billion impact each year – more than one-third of the state’s entire economic activity.
- 15% of South Dakota cash receipts came from wheat in 2008.
- Wheat was first planted in the U.S. in 1777 as a hobby crop.
- Approximately three-quarters of all U.S. grain products are made from wheat flour.
- One bushel of wheat yields around 90 one-pound loaves of whole wheat bread.
- One bushel of wheat makes about 42 pounds of pasta or 210 servings of spaghetti!
For more information about wheat farming in South Dakota, please visit http://www.sdwheat.org/.
Adobe Flash Player is required to view this content.
Click the button below to download the latest version of this plugin for free.
