SDSPA Holds Annual Meeting, Elects Board Members
SDSPA Contractor, Morgan Hughes, provided an overview of current SDSPA projects informing the audience about available resources and ongoing initiatives during the annual meeting.
The South Dakota Specialty Producers Association (SDSPA) held its annual membership meeting on Thurs., Feb. 6, 2025, at the Cedar Shores Resort in Oacoma. Members gathered both in person and virtually for the one-hour session.
SDSPA President Rath called the meeting to order at 1 PM Central Time, welcoming attendees and leading introductions. The roll call was taken, and the minutes from the 2024 annual meeting were approved.
A key order of business was the election of the SDSPA Board of Directors. President Rath oversaw the nomination process, with nominations taken from the floor. Among those newly nominated were Greg Jones and Matty Kerr and nomination for reelection were for Cheri Rath and Rhoda Burrows.
Greg Jones Matty Kerr both were subsequently elected to the board for their first term. Cheri Rath was reelected to the board and currently resides as the board President. Rhoda Burrows was reelected to another term as a representative from SDSU Extension.
The current board is now made up of Cheri Rath as President. Kelly Scheetz is the Vice President. The Treasurer is Jewel Bork. The Secretary position is held by Michael Gubbels. Greg Jones, Matty Kerr, and Rhoda Burrows make up the remaining SDSPA board.
A little bit about Greg Jones – Jones, along with his wife Katie and their three children, reside on a small acreage near Tea, S.D and operate Country Apple Orchard. They maintain a large garden and raise, grow, and hunt much of their own food, managing a diverse menagerie of animals, including chickens, donkeys, goats, alpacas, pigs, sheep, geese, and a resilient rabbit. Jones and his family are originally from small towns near Sioux Falls and spent nine years in Colorado working in the adventure travel industry.
Matty Kerr resides in Brookings, S.D. where she works for the Small Business Development Center and Brookings Economic Development Corporation. Matty attended SDSU and did not leave Brookings after college. Kerr is originally from Highmore, S.D. where she is still actively involved in her family’s farm and father’s truck dealership. Kerr is passionate about all facets of agriculture and its impact and enjoys helping others – which correlates with her full-time job and volunteer pursuits.
Following the nominations, Morgan Hughes provided an overview of current SDSPA projects informing the audience about available resources and ongoing initiatives. The presentation highlighted the organization’s efforts to support specialty producers across the state.
President Rath adjourned the meeting at 2:00 PM. The SDSPA’s annual meeting provided a valuable forum for members to connect, discuss important issues, and participate in the governance of the association.