BROOKINGS — South Dakota State University Extension Crops Business Management Specialist Jack Davis is retiring after 30 years of serving South Dakota’s agricultural community.

There will be a retirement open house for Davis from 3 to 4:30 p.m. on Aug. 19, 2024, at the SDSU Extension Mitchell Regional Center.

A native of rural Forestburg, Davis graduated from Woonsocket High School before attending SDSU for college. He graduated in 1982 with a bachelor’s degree in agriculture business. He returned to the family farm and raised corn, alfalfa and cattle until 1988 when he decided to pursue a graduate degree.

In 1989, he graduated from the University of South Dakota in Vermillion with a master’s in business administration and information systems. Davis then taught accounting and economics at Dakota State University in Madison from 1989 to 1992, before working as a public accountant and a controller for a manufacturing business.

In 1994, he joined SDSU Extension and was one of a handful of farm management agents who would help people with financial analysis and projections. He’s seen drastic changes in technology and its uses for agriculture over the last 30 years, and Davis has enjoyed helping others embrace those changes.

“You’re on the cutting edge of knowledge and trying new things, and being able to take that to clients, to farmers and ranchers, and work with them,” he said.

During his career, Davis worked with thousands of individuals, agencies and organizations on various aspects of strategic planning, financial analysis and business management in agriculture. In 2016, he received the Distinguished Service Award from the National Association of County Agricultural Agents for exhibiting excellence in Extension education.

Sandy Smart, SDSU Extension agriculture and natural resources senior program leader and professor, said Davis’ combination of education and hands-on experience as a farmer and a teacher gave him a unique ability to connect with producers and understand their operations.

“Jack was the epitome of an SDSU Extension Field Specialist,” Smart said. “His knowledge of farm economics impacting crop production in South Dakota was second to none.”

Originally based in Madison, Davis later moved to Woonsocket where he was based until 2011. When SDSU Extension reorganized in October 2011, Davis moved to the Mitchell Regional Center on Mitchell Technical Institute’s campus, where he remained until retirement.

Notable projects included spearheading the SDSU Extension Farm Real Estate Market Survey, an annual appraisal of agricultural land values and cash rental rates in South Dakota. He also regularly gathered information to compile annual crop budgets for row crops and small grains and worked with faculty and SDSU Extension experts to conduct economic evaluations of farm management practices.

He was part of a team of SDSU Extension experts who created a farm transition program, now called Sustaining the Legacy, and has worked on a strategic plan resource for farmers and ranchers. When there were large changes in the Farm Bill, Davis worked closely with Farm Service Agency officials to provide information and education across the state.

An active member of professional groups, Davis has served as secretary and on the board of directors for the South Dakota chapter of the American Society of Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers, as well as academic vice president on the national board.

Smart added that Davis was generous in sharing his expertise with others, listing as an example when Davis helped him to develop financial statements for a ranch planning course.

“The impact of providing real-world examples was invaluable to student learning,” Smart said. “I could always count on Jack to answer any question I had, and it helped me become a better teacher for it.”

Davis’ family still farms the land his great-grandpa homesteaded in the 1880s. In retirement, Davis said he is looking forward to spending time with family, continuing to work on the farm, and “probably do a little fishing.”

Coming from a family of educators with deep roots in South Dakota, Davis said his work with SDSU Extension provided the perfect combination of agriculture and education.

“I’ve always loved the state of South Dakota and what it has provided for our family,” he said. “SDSU Extension allowed me to work with great people both within SDSU and the agricultural community.”