Troy and Stacy Hadrick are passionate about agriculture.  They both grew up on farming and ranching operations in South Dakota and have roots in American agriculture that go back several generations.  In fact, the common bond of agriculture is how they first met as teenagers.  In 1998, they graduated from South Dakota State University, Stacy with a B.S. in Ag Econ and Ag Business degrees and Troy with a B.S. in Animal Science.  They returned to ranch with Stacy’s family in western South Dakota on a cow/calf operation. Right away, Troy and Stacy became active in the Farm Bureau’s Young Farmers and Ranchers program. They were able to expand their leadership experiences and talent for speaking in front of people.  Being a leader in agriculture is not an easy job, especially when you are younger and trying to get started in agriculture.  Troy & Stacy took advantage of some fantastic opportunities to expand their knowledge of agriculture and saw the need to become advocates for agriculture.

   Troy and Stacy realized right off the bat that the best way to combat negativity toward agriculture was to stand up and tell your own story.  No one can dispute your story.  It is yours. But for too long, those of us in agriculture have been letting someone else do the talking for us.  They also realized that they can’t do it all themselves.

   In 2006, Troy and Stacy decided that they needed to share the importance of standing up and telling the story of agriculture with producers.  What started out as a 25 minute speech at the South Dakota Women in Agriculture Conference has evolved into Advocates for Agriculture.  Word traveled fast about this young couple in South Dakota and soon they were being asked to speak at locations across the United States. 

   Troy and Stacy know first hand how busy producers are, so every presentation gives them tools they can use on a daily basis and the motivation to stand up and tell their own story.  Although there is a long fight ahead of us, those who are using Troy and Stacy's techniques are seeing amazing results and having fun doing it!  

   They are very active in South Dakota Farm Bureau and the South Dakota Cattlemen's Association.  Through Farm Bureau, Troy and Stacy have both won the State Discussion Meet and as a couple they won the State Excellence in Agriculture Award.  In 2004, they were awarded the National Excellence in Agriculture Award from the American Farm Bureau Federation.  Because of these awards, both Troy and Stacy were chosen to participate in Farm Bureau's most prestigious leadership training program, Partners in Agricultural Leadership (PAL).  Only ten people are chosen from across the nation to participate in PAL every year.  In 2007, they were selected by the Rapid City Journal as two of seven people to watch in the Black Hills region in 2007. 

Troy and Stacy have three children, Teigen is 7, Olivia is 4 and Reese is 3.