2007 Honorees

Eminent Homemakers			Eminent Farmers
Rita Barnett	Jan Rasmussen		Hugh Barnett	David Stenberg

Scan the horizon from any point in South Dakota. You will see a landscape of endless variety and beauty that seems to stretch forever, a prairie that is more luscious and abundant than it was when the first settlers arrived. You will see crops and livestock and wildlife, farms and ranches, and towns and cities where an even greater future is rooted in a work ethic and philosophy of life envied across this continent. You will see a way of life built on old ideals but blessed with endless new ideas. You will behold elegance, leadership, and accomplishment from people who make you proud to be a South Dakotan.

Living in every corner of this state are people dedicated to preserving our heritage and strengthening the bond that exists between the human and natural resources. People, in concert with a greater spirit, who help define the magnificent fabric of this land. People who provide food and fiber in such an abundance that even those beyond the borders of the state and beyond our nation reap the benefit. They are people who educate their families. They are people whose family values are real, not merely the topics of political campaigns or the hollow rhetoric of TV talk shows.

These people, their homes, and their families are an integral part of the South Dakota horizon. They have come from every corner of the state, joined by having risen above, having excelled beyond the expected, having been the quiet, effective, moving force establishing the legacy that makes South Dakota the proud state it is today. They are South Dakotan’s Eminent Farmers and Homemakers.