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Cole Sonne is the fourth generation on his family’s Mount Vernon, South Dakota farm. Cole’s days are spent alongside his father raising corn, soybeans and Black Angus cattle, but there’s more. “We also have a YouTube channel called Sonne Farms,” said Sonne, “which I believe is the biggest YouTube channel in South Dakota.” It’s big to the tune of tens of thousands of viewers per episode, seen all over the United States as well as in other countries. We caught up with Sonne just before he spoke at the 2025 AgOutlook Conference and Trade Show in Sioux Falls this past December. At the conference he talked about the importance of the next generation getting a solid foothold on the farm, which you’ll hear about on this edition of The Soybean Pod. But you’ll also hear about the Sonne Farms YouTube channel, hugely popular among farmers and others.

Tanner Hento’s name is becoming more familiar, especially among soybean farmers in South Dakota. But now that familiarity is growing on a wider scope. The 36-year-old Avon, South Dakota producer was one of four winners of the National Outstanding Young Farmer award for 2026. Hento accepted the award during a ceremony in Hershey, Pennsylvania, 11 days after being elected president of the South Dakota Soybean Association. I happened to be master of ceremonies of the NOYF awards program on a cold February 7th in Hershey. I interviewed Tanner right after the evening’s festivities concluded. That conversation is this edition of The Soybean Pod.