SOUTH DAKOTA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

NEWS RELEASE

For Immediate Release: June 18, 2015

Media Contact: Dani Hanson, 605.773.2036

Sen. John Thune to speak at Governor’s Ag Summit in Deadwood

PIERRE, S.D. – Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.), Nebraska Director of Agriculture Greg Ibach and Dr. Dermont Hayes of Iowa State University will speak to audiences during Session 2 of the Governor’s Agricultural Summit on Friday, July 10, from 10:30‑11:45 a.m. in Pine Crest Rooms C and D at the Lodge in Deadwood.

Speakers will discuss the on-going international trade negotiations and increased opportunities that could result as those negotiations conclude. The impact of international trade on agriculture both nationally and regionally will also be discussed.

Sen. Thune, a Murdo native, serves as the senior Senator from South Dakota. Thune currently serves on the Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee and the Finance Committee; he also chairs the Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee. Thune and his wife Kimberley live in Sioux Falls, and have two adult daughters, Brittany and Larissa.

Greg Ibach is the Director of the Nebraska Department of Agriculture under Gov. Pete Ricketts. Ibach serves in a nationwide leadership role for the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture and represents agriculture on a select committee providing policy guidance to the federal United States Trade Representative. He continues to farm and ranch in central Nebraska.

Dr. Dermot Hayes is the Pioneer Hi-Bred International Chair in Agribusiness and professor of economics and finance at Iowa State University. Hayes was named a Fellow by the Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, its highest recognition for distinction in the discipline.

Pre-registration is required to attend the Summit and space is limited. To register, and for more information, visit SDAgSummit.com or contact Dani Hanson at danielle.hanson@state.sd.us. This event is free and open to the public. The event will also be livestreamed for those unable to attend via sdda.sd.gov.

Agriculture is South Dakota's No. 1 industry, generating $25.6 billion in annual economic activity and employing over 115,000 South Dakotans. The South Dakota Department of Agriculture's mission is to promote, protect, preserve and improve this industry for today and tomorrow. Visit us online at http://sdda.sd.gov or find us on Facebook and Twitter.

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