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Annual Meeting

Thank you to all member-owners and guests that attended the 2012 Wheat Growers Annual Meeting, “In Good Company”.

The two events were held on Tuesday, January 10 at the Dakota Event Center (DEC) in Aberdeen, SD; and Wednesday, January 11 at the Crossroads Hotel in Huron, SD.

The morning’s panel discussion, “When It Rains But Does Not Drain,” was led by SDSU tiling specialist Dr. Chris Hay, Natural Resources Conservation Service engineer Michelle Burke, and attorney Gary Leistico, a specialist in South Dakota drainage laws.

Click to watch the entire session:

If you'd like more information each presenters' contact information is listed below.

Tiling Panel:

Michelle M. Burke, P.E.
Area EngineerU
USDA NRCS
520 3rd. Ave.
Brookings, SD  57006
Phone:  605-692-2344, ext.106
michelle.burke@sd.usda.gov

Chris Hay
Assistant Professor / Water Management Engineer
Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering
South Dakota State University
Box 2120
Brookings, SD 57007-1496 
Phone: 605-688-5610
Christopher.Hay@sdstate.edu

Gary R. Leistico
Attorney with expertise in drainage and tiling
RINKE NOONAN
Suite 300 US Bank Plaza
1015 W. St. Germain St.
P.O. BOX 1497
St. Cloud, MN 56302
Phone: 320-251-6700
gleistico@rinkenoonan.com

Breakout Sessions:

Craig Haugaard
Grain Origination Manager
South Dakota Wheat Growers
908 Lamont St. S
Aberdeen, SD 57401
Phone: 605-725-8306
craig.haugaard@sdwg.com

Brent Wiesenburger
Precision Ag Manager
South Dakota Wheat Growers
908 Lamont St. S
Aberdeen, SD 57401
Phone: 605-725-8329
bwiesenburger@sdwg.com

Keynote Address:

Cal Thomas – The most widely read and one of the most highly regarded voices on the American political scene was the keynote luncheon speaker at the Wheat Growers annual meeting. Cal has worked for NBC, CNBC, PBS and Fox News where he appears weekly on the show, Fox News Watch.  He has appeared on Nightline, The Today Show, Good Morning America, Larry King Live and the Oprah Winfrey Show. Cal also is a writer of force and clarity and has authored ten books, including (with Bob Beckel) “Common Ground: How To Stop The Partisan War That Is Destroying America,” which can be purchased on his web site, www.calthomas.com.

If you missed Cal at the Wheat Growers annual meeting, please visit his website to learn more about his journalistic and literary achievements and to order one of his books.