Board of Directors
Shawn Freeland
Terms Served: 2018, 2019-2021, 2020-2022 Vice Chairman, 2023- Chairman
Shawn Freeland, his wife Kristy and their two daughters live on their farm in Caputa where they run a cow/calf operation, stockers, registered Black Angus, beef finishing, as well as produce irrigated livestock forage. Additional positions held by Shawn include serving as a District 3 Director for the South Dakota Stock Growers, Director for the St. Germain Irrigating Company and member of SDARL Class VIII.
Shawn’s farm has been completely no-till since 2016. He also utilizes cover crops, livestock grazing of cover crops, managed intensive grazing practices and no longer uses synthetic fertilizer.
Shawn’s goals for the future of soil health on his operation and throughout South Dakota include: “Regenerating the soil, Minimizing erosion, Providing nutrient dense products to consumers, Assisting with community education and outreach, Holistically managing his operation, and Increasing both bio-diversity and drought resistance.”
Feature Articles and Video
Published on April 26, 2018
“Soil is soil whether its 5,000 acres or just your little backyard plot, this is really important to keep that soil living and healthy,” Freeland said, “if you take the time, put the money into it and invest in your soil it will pay you back.”
Published on January 3, 2018
Shawn and Kristy Freeland are one of the many ranch families in South Dakota who make animal care and sustainability a priority for their business. Though Shawn was the first in his family to live the ranch life, Kristy is continuing a tradition spanning multiple generations. Together, they feed and take care of more than 400 cows that have room to roam across close to 10,000 acres of land near Rapid City.