Kingsbury County Farmer is 2025 Farmers Union Ag Ambassador

By Lura Roti

During the 110th South Dakota Farmers Union State Convention Dec. 11, the state's largest agriculture organization recognized third-generation Kingsbury County farmer Wayne Soren for his contributions to South Dakota agriculture, naming him the 2025 Ag Ambassador.

"Wayne is the epitome of a leader in agriculture," said Doug Sombke, President of South Dakota Farmers Union. "I've known Wayne since the early days when we were both young farmers trying to make it during the Farm Crisis. We served together many years on the board of directors and side by side as President and Vice President. He is active not only in Farmers Union, but in his church and community. He never seeks credit but always does what is right."

Soren became involved in Farmers Union during the Farm Crisis. After the crisis, he remained involved because he believes in Farmers Union's philosophies.

"I believe in co-ops. I believe in family farmers and helping local communities. I believe in grassroots policy, and there is virtually no other organization that encompasses all those in the way that Farmers Union does," Soren said.

Soren has traveled to Washington, D.C., several times to advocate for policy during the National Farmers Union Fly-In. He served on the organization's policy committee. He began serving on the board of directors in 1999 representing District 3. In 2010, he was asked to serve as the organization's vice president alongside his friend Doug Sombke.

Throughout his nearly two decades of service, Soren has advocated for South Dakota farmers and ranchers during some dark times: cattle crisis, trade tariffs, droughts, Storm Atlas, floods.

And he's also celebrated victories. He worked with the organization to support ethanol expansion throughout the state, investment in South Dakota Wind Partners and helped lead a re-organization of Farmers Union Insurance.

Farmers Union educational programming is another aspect of the organization Soren has actively supported. "Since we became involved in Farmers Union, Vicki and I have been supporters of its educational programming. Our sons, Jason and Ryan, were Torchbearers. They served on the Junior and Senior Advisory Councils," Soren said.

In the 1990s, the Soren family was recognized by the organization for their involvement and named Farmers Union Farm Family of the Year. "I am grateful to Vicki and our sons for all the support they have given me so that I could be as involved as I have been in Farmers Union," Soren said.

In 2023, Soren retired from his role as State Vice President and passed the torch on to a young Aberdeen farmer Jeff Kippley. Kippley also serves as the National Farmers Union Vice President.

"I knew it was time to retire because I saw a lot of young people, like Jeff, who were involved and who were ready to lead," Soren explained. "When I was a young man, I remember wanting to get involved in an organization's leadership, and an old guy who was in leadership came up to me and took his finger and pointed it in my chest and told me: 'wait your turn.' I did not want to be that guy."

Inspired by Grandpa Chester

Soren's eagerness to mentor the next generation of South Dakota farmers is inspired by his Grandpa Chester.

"Grandpa had a heart attack and needed to quit farming, so he called my dad and said, 'I have some people who would like to buy the farm. Are any of the boys interested in farming?' I said, 'yes, I want to farm.' So, Grandpa held on to the farm for a good 10 years until I was ready.'"

Although Soren grew up a city kid, he and his siblings took turns spending the summers on their grandparents' Lake Preston farm.

"It was my fifth or sixth grade summer when I got bit by the farming bug, and I've had it ever since," Soren said.

Together with his wife, Vicki, Soren moved to South Dakota to farm full time a few years after high school. It was 1980 - not an easy time to get into farming. But even though Grandpa Chester could not physically help him with the day-to-day work of farming, Chester's advice and financial support were just what Soren needed.

"I could never repay my grandpa for what he did," Soren said. "He signed my promissory notes for me for the first few years, and he gave me advice. Even in those days farming was too expensive to just get into it by yourself. Look around - nearly every farmer I know today had a dad or an uncle or a grandpa help them get their start in farming."

Even though some of Soren's ideas about farming were not the same as Chester's, Soren said his grandpa was always his biggest supporter.

"I was one of the first guys in the county to grow soybeans. I asked him what he thought about it, and he was a bit reluctant because he had tried 25 years earlier and was not able to harvest any, but he let me do it. And those beans looked really nice … and then we got a hailstorm and it took them all out. The next year, he asked me if I was planning to grow some soybeans. He said we should try it again. So, we did and it was one of the best yields I've ever had."

In addition to active involvement in Farmers Union, Soren is also actively involved in his local cooperative.

"I often get asked to explain the cooperative business model to youth during Farmers Union camp. And I always tell them, 'You own the cooperative, and why not do business with the business you own,'" Soren said.

As a way to further educate rural youth about cooperatives, Soren worked with his local cooperative, Prairie Ag Partners, to donate children's books focused on cooperatives in local school and community libraries.

"I have always had the philosophy that me and my neighbor and my other neighbor could probably get something done together better than trying to do it by myself. In a nutshell, this is the co-op business model."

Soren currently serves as chair the Farmers Union Marketing and Processing Association board of directors, the organization that founded Farmers Union Industries. Farmers Union Industries is the organization that owns several businesses which help fund five state Farmers Union organizations.

As Soren looks to the future of agriculture in South Dakota and his family's farm, he remains optimistic that one day he and Vicki will pass their farm on to one of their sons or grandchildren.

To learn more about how South Dakota Farmers Union supports family farmers and ranchers, visit www.sdfu.org.