Whether launching the “Dakota Farm Talk” radio program from the Geppert family farm 30 years before the term “remote work” was commonplace, fundraising for the South Dakota State Fair’s Nordby Exhibit Hall or helping start the Kimball FFA chapter — Pam (Walter) Geppert works hard to support South Dakota agriculture.
“We all stand on the shoulders of those who came before us,” said Geppert, a farm broadcaster and fourth-generation cattle producer. “I think of all the farm and ranch women who are a key part of South Dakota agriculture — trailblazers in so many ways — and I take pride in being one of those women.”
Growing up on her family’s Groton cattle operation, Geppert spent her youth outside helping her father, Jack Walter, with cattle chores. “Once my two older brothers were gone, I was Dad’s right-hand man. I helped him with artificial insemination, move cattle, and I showed heifers in 4-H,” Geppert said. “Mom of course wanted me to do sewing and cooking in 4-H, but I much preferred being in the barn.”
Her passion for agriculture led her to pursue a degree in agricultural journalism at South Dakota State University. “As an ag journalism major, I got to take a lot of classes covering a lot of different agriculture topics. I enjoyed agronomy. I enjoyed animal science. I enjoyed horticulture. I knew I could write and speak, and I thought, ‘Hey, if I can just talk about this stuff for the rest of my life, my career should be pretty enjoyable.’”
Along with finding her career passion, SDSU was also where Geppert met her husband, Kent. Like her, Kent grew up raising cattle. And although Kent had plans to return to his family’s Kimball farm, there was no room for him to join the operation when he graduated. He did find a job in Indiana, so that’s where Geppert started her career, working as a farm broadcaster for a Fort Wayne, Indiana, radio station.
“I discovered I liked radio because I didn’t have to write 1,000-word articles. If it couldn’t be said in two minutes or less, it probably was too much information,” Geppert said. “I also liked telling the stories of agriculture, going out to farms and county fairs.”
In 1989, Kent’s grandpa, Lawrence, reached out to say he was ready to retire. Supportive of building their life together on Kent’s family farm, Geppert knew she needed an off-farm career to supplement their income. But there were not many job options in Kimball. Geppert turned the obstacle into an opportunity.
“I got the idea for ‘Dakota Farm Talk’ from the radio station I worked for,” Geppert said. “Each month we would receive a cassette tape of pre-recorded radio stories from different ag commodity organizations. I did some questioning in South Dakota and discovered there wasn’t anything similar, so I started calling people I knew in South Dakota agriculture.”
Her first phone call was to then Secretary of Agriculture Jay Swisher. “He was the grandpa of my best friend — you know the whole thing, of ‘it’s who you know.’”
She also called the South Dakota Beef Industry Council and South Dakota Wheat Commission. “I asked if they would be interested in me featuring them on a radio show and then distributing their stories to radio stations on their behalf, and they all said yes.”
Reflecting on the reel-to-reel technology of the 1990s necessary to produce “Dakota Farm Talk,” Geppert said producing a story was much more complex and hands-on than today’s computer programs. “The internet wasn’t a thing at that time. If I needed to cut an ‘um’ out of a quote, I physically had to cut the reel and tape it back together.”
With the help of a radio technician, she purchased the equipment and built her studio before she moved to South Dakota. But things did not go as planned. “After all the jiggling of the moving truck driving 800 miles, when I unloaded my equipment, it did not work!”
Again, she called a few of her friends in South Dakota agriculture: Emery Tschetter, who worked in communications for her alma mater, and farm broadcaster Michelle Rook. “Somehow, somebody got everything to work. I loaded my equipment and drove carefully from Brookings to my Kimball farmhouse and made my launch deadline.”
Since the first “Dakota Farm Talk” aired February 1990, Geppert has worked with numerous agriculture organizations and SDSU Extension to share the story of South Dakota agriculture on radio stations throughout the state.
“Everyone I visit with, they are experts. I’m just the storyteller — I’m just a part of the tip of the iceberg of what agriculture is,” Geppert said. “It’s become popular to say that farmers and ranchers need to tell their stories. I’ve been telling their stories for over 30 years. It’s been rewarding to raise awareness of how farmers and ranchers work to take care of their resources and feed and clothe others. Because I have been able to be part of telling their stories, it’s been a worthwhile career.”
While recording “Dakota Farm Talk,” Geppert was also busy raising their three children: daughters Kayla and Taylor and son Colin. Like their parents, all three were actively involved in 4-H, and today they work in ag-related careers.
Over the last 33 years, Geppert also made time to serve as a 4-H leader, and 25 years ago she was among a group of community members to advocate for the Kimball School District to start agriculture education and an FFA chapter in their high school.
“I wanted our students to have the opportunity to participate in FFA because many of the youth who graduate from Kimball leave our community to build their careers. And many parents think there is no future in farming or ranching. In fact, I heard one mom tell me that her son said he felt embarrassed because he wanted to stay on the family farm. She told him not to feel bad because farming is a noble profession. This stuck with me. I wanted these farm kids to know that there is a future in agriculture — maybe right here in Kimball.”
Geppert was appointed by Gov. Mike Rounds to serve as a commissioner for the South Dakota State Fair. She became part of the team that raised more than $4 million to build the Nordby Exhibit Hall. Geppert is a graduate of the first class of South Dakota Ag and Rural Leadership. Today, she continues to produce “Dakota Farm Talk” from her Kimball farmhouse.
Geppert will be honored for her contributions to South Dakota during the 2024 Eminent Leaders in Agriculture, Family and Community recognition banquet held at the McCrory Gardens Education and Visitor Center on the SDSU campus Sept. 20.
