For the past two decades, members of the South Dakota Wheat Growers actually have grown more corn and soybeans than wheat.
But don't look for the cooperative to change its name.
"Changing the name has been discussed," said Roger Krueger, the Wheat Growers' director of grain marketing, "and it would probably be more appropriate to call it 'grain growers.'
"We are very steeped in tradition, and we've been a well-run cooperative for more than 80 years. We asked our membership if they wanted to change the name, and they overwhelmingly said no."
"A big company should not change their name after they've worked a long time to gain a good reputation," said Randy Wiedebush, a Wheat Growers member from the Mansfield area. "They should keep their tradition."
The switch to corn and soybeans started in the mid 1990s.
Demand has changed, said Wiedebush, who raises all three grains on his farm. Ethanol, which is made from corn, has become more popular as have uses for soybeans due to diet trends and products made from the crop.
Krueger said the 1996 Farm Bill relaxed some regulations and ended the requirement to leave land idle to qualify for crop subsidies. Many farmers switched to soybeans because the crop was more profitable - or lost less money - than wheat.
Wheat Growers member Todd Hanson grows soybeans and corn on his farm near Bath. He hasn't grown wheat since 1996. Wheat actually is the easiest among the three grains to grow because it's harvested in the summer, he said.
The change to soybeans and corn is purely economics, Hanson said.
Krueger said that in the last decade, soybean and corn production doubled due to good agronomy. That trend continues in northeastern South Dakota, he said.
The South Dakota Wheat Growers, based in Aberdeen, was founded in 1923 so farmers could pool their wheat for increased profit. It became a cooperative seven years later. It now has 3,300 active members with voting rights and 5,500 customers.Associated Press
