Hindsight is 2020

Get to know our newly-elected SDSA President Jordan Scott in his letter to South Dakota farmers. Published in the 2021 Spring Soybean Leader magazine.

Hindsight is 2020

My name is Jordan Scott, your new SDSA President. I want to thank past-president Jeff Thompson for his great leadership and wisdom. He has been a fantastic mentor and continues to assist me in any way he can. Thank you, Jeff.

For the past four years, I have been a director on the SDSA Board. In 2016, I was selected as South Dakota ASA/ DuPont Young Leader and awarded a seat on the SDSA board. A year later, I was elected to a three-year term as an at-large director. Ever Since the day I was selected for the YL position, I have been active and engaged, even chairing a few committees. I have learned and personally grown through the strong leadership of directors on the SDSA Board and various leadership training programs. Upon being elected to this position, which comes with a lot, LOT more responsibilities, I was very humbled and honored to represent South Dakota soybean farmers.

Jordan and Kevin Scott

Farm advocacy and policy are passions of mine. With the support of our outstanding board of directors, I plan to be a prominent and vocal advocate for all South Dakota soybean farmers in my term as President.

2020 was an interesting year, to say the least.

Have you said or thought any of these things? “2020 was a terrible year. 2021 HAS to be much better. It can’t be any worse. What a dumpster fire the year was.” I know I have. However, the more I think about and reflect on 2020, the better it looks. There were new challenges and things that happened that were weird, out of the ordinary, and downright strange. Every year has its issues, but this one felt different. There were a lot of very significant things that happened in 2020. I choose to focus on the positive things rather than the struggles and challenges.

February 2020, I decided to jump into the unknown world of YouTube and create a channel featuring our farm. My goal is to show transparency in farming practices, a little about our family, and the sustainability we have developed over five generations. You can check it out by searching Scott Family Farms on YouTube. (Shameless plug) My wife, Sam, and I celebrated five years of marriage in June of 2020. She has made me a better person, leader, and husband. As a nurse during the global pandemic, her work ethic is truly inspiring, and I really admire her.

We also had the pure joy of watching our first son, Lincoln, take his first steps. In September, my wife informed me that Lincoln will be a big brother in May of this year! We are very excited to grow our family. In December of 2020, my father was elected President of the American Soybean Association. His hard work and selfless pursuit for the betterment of all soybean farmers is something that makes me very proud to call him my Dad. His commitment to the soybean family has helped mold me into the leader I am today, and I am very grateful for his guidance and wisdom.

I say all of this not to brag or show that I had a great year when others didn’t. My point is that we all have struggles, some more impactful than others, but it’s what we focus and dwell on that affects our mental health and attitude. My hope for you and your family is that you find the silver lining. If you look hard enough, you will find it in everything you do. Remember, hindsight is 2020.