Eminent Farmer
County: Yankton
Gale Erickson has been actively engaged in farming for 40 years. He farms near Gayville with a farrow-to-finish hog operation, cattle and sheep. He also raises corn, soybeans, oats and alfalfa. He graduated from South Dakota State University with a two-year degree in agriculture.
Erickson is an active leader and provides guidance in agricultural programs in his community, county and state. He served on the Yankton County Crop Improvement Board for 17 years, the Farmers and Merchants Bank of Yankton Advisory Board and on the Advisory Board for the College of Agriculture and Biological Sciences at South Dakota State University.
He has been a member of the Yankton County Pork Producers and was honored as a Master Pork Producer in 1977. During the late 1960s he was selected as Yankton County's Outstanding Young Farmer and received the Century Farm Award in 1985.
Erickson is a supporter of Extension programs. He was a cooperator for many years with the Plant Science Department on alfalfa research. He also constructed a farrow-to-finish swine unit, following plans developed by former Extension Ag Engineer Louis Lubinus. A video was made of this unit for instructional purposes and many groups also toured the facilities.
Erickson is an active conservationist. For 15 years, he served as one of the district supervisors on the Yankton County Soil Conservation Board. He also donated his time to plant trees at the Gayville-Volin School and Gayville Lutheran Church.
Other community leadership positions include Gayville-Volin School Board member for eight years and a member of the Republican Party in Yankton County.
Gale and his wife, Marie, are the parents of three children. He was a 4-H leader for more than ten years while his children were in 4-H. He is also very active in his church and served on the church council.