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search and Extension in the land-grant universities of the North Central Region of the United States has been $15 to $25. This has benefited not only farmers, but also agricultural based businesses and communities across our state.
• As dry as South Dakota fields were in 2012, the producers using no-till farming practices actually had the equivalent of two inches more rain per acre they did in 1974. Corn yields in the drought of 2012 were 61 bushels an acre higher than were possible during the drought of 1974. Soybean yields were eight bushels an acre higher. Spring and winter wheat yields were 18 bushels an acre higher.
•  As demand for agricultural products grows stronger, agriculture will continue to be the economic foundation of South Dakota. We can see the impact of agricultural growth in communities across our region in the form of new or remodeled food processing plants, bio-fuel plants, and investments in infrastructure. With continued strategic investments in research, the Grand Challenge will be met, and with it will come

enormous opportunities for South Dakota.
• Governor Daugaard, state legislators, members of the Board of Regents, commodity groups and agricultural leaders have worked together to increase funding of agricultural research at South Dakota State University by nearly $1.5 million next year. Over the years, this investment will add millions more to our state's economy. We appreciate the increased funding from the state of South Dakota. Continued investments like this will be how our state harvests the opportunities of the future.
• It is indeed a new day for agriculture, and with it many challenges, but also with the promise of new opportunities for us all.