Sioux Falls Chamber of Commerce honors soybean farmer leader

The Jordan Scott family is the Greater Sioux Falls Chamber of Commerce 2023 Farm Family of the Year. Scott, the immediate past president of the South Dakota Soybean Association, is the fifth generation farming 1,400 acres at Valley Springs, a few miles outside Sioux Falls.

“We have been on this same ground for over 125 years and it’s kind of cool to see my boys running around the yard and climbing around on the equipment,” said Scott, reacting to the announcement of the award. “They enjoy it just as much as my dad and I do.”

Jordan’s dad is American Soybean Association immediate past chairman Kevin Scott. The honor from South Dakota’s largest chamber of commerce is especially touching for Jordan and his family. “In a city like Sioux Falls, ag drives so much of the business, from processing all the way down to the restaurants and the shops and the stores,” said Jordan Scott, who has just been seated as a director from South Dakota on the American Soybean Association Board, taking the place of his father, who just reached the end of his term on that governing body. “Ag touches every aspect of that city, so to work closely with them and [to have] the relationships that we have, it’s exciting; it’s important to them and it’s important to us.”

Until recently, Jordan Scott has been busy with the South Dakota Soybean Association. He has been on the board of directors for five years and has served as president for the last two years. After high school graduation, he worked different jobs in Sioux Falls until the time was right for him to come back and farm full-time with his parents Kevin and Jannell. It’s Jordan’s passion for being the fifth generation involved in his family’s farming enterprise that makes the Scotts remarkable, according to Brooke Hendrickx, the manager of the Greater Sioux Falls Chamber of Commerce Agribusiness Division.

“They do it because they love it, they don’t do it because it’s a job,” said Hendrickx, about the Scott family. “I think that’s another thing that really sets them apart. They don’t care about the paycheck that’s coming at the end of the day, they do it because it’s something they love and something that’s been instilled in them from previous years.”

Jordan, his wife, Samantha, and sons, Lincoln and Dane will be officially honored at the annual Mayor’s Round-Up and Sale of Champions on January 27, which is an annual feature of the Sioux Empire Livestock Show.