Jim Burg District 7

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Jim Burg, of Wessington Springs, S.D., has worked in nearly all facets of agriculture, from production to policy to value-added development.

With 40 years of farming under his belt, Burg brought to the South Dakota Corn Growers Association when he joined the board of directors in January of 2008, a wealth of knowledge which he currently employs on his diversified farm consisting of corn, wheat, alfalfa, soybeans, hay, stock cows and finished fat cattle.

Burg started farming with his dad in 1967 after working for the Federal Land Bank for three years. In 1969, he graduated from South Dakota State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Animal Science. Burg has had the opportunity to serve the state of South Dakota as a state legislator from 1975 through 1986; and he was elected to the state Public Utilities Commissioner post which he held from 1986 through 2003.

Now back on the family operation which he farms which his brother and two sons, Burg says he chose the farming profession because he enjoyed farming with his dad and grandpa for as long as he can remember. He also has enjoyed involvement in his community and state and his passion for renewable energy, particularly wind development, is evident in his other leadership activities which include: Powering the Plains (a five-state renewable energy association), National Wind Coordinating Council, and the SDSU anaerobic digester feasibility committee. Burg is also on the Farmers Union Foundation Board.

Burg believes the top issues in the industry are how to take advantage of the prosperity we have in South Dakota such as, what should our future investments be? He also sees managing the increasingly costly inputs such as fertilizer, seed and fuel, as a key concern.

Burg and his wife, Bernice, have 5 grown children including three sons and two daughters. In his spare time, Burg enjoys hiking and discussing current events and politics.