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Dallas P. Tonsager
Board Member

Dallas P. Tonsager was appointed to the FCA Board by President George W. Bush on November 30, 2004, for a term that expires May 21, 2010.

Mr. Tonsager also serves as a member of the Board of Directors of the Farm Credit System Insurance Corporation, which is responsible for ensuring the timely payment of principal and interest on obligations issued on behalf of FCS banks.

Mr. Tonsager brings to his position on the FCA Board extensive experience as an agriculture leader and producer and a commitment to promoting and implementing innovative development strategies to benefit rural residents and their communities. As executive director of the South Dakota Value-Added Agriculture Development Center in Huron from 2002 until his appointment to the FCA Board, he coordinated initiatives to better serve producers interested in developing value-added agricultural projects. Services provided by the center include project facilitation, feasibility studies, business planning, market assessment, technical assistance, and education.

In 1993 he was selected by President William J. Clinton to serve as the State director in South Dakota for rural development for the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Mr. Tonsager oversaw a diversified portfolio of housing, business, and infrastructure loans in South Dakota totaling more than $100 million. In 1999, he was recognized as one of two outstanding State directors in the nation by then-USDA Under Secretary Jill Long Thompson. His term concluded in February 2001.

A long-time member of the South Dakota Farmers Union, Mr. Tonsager served two terms as president of the organization from 1988 to 1993. He served on the board of National Farmers Union Insurance from 1989 to 1993, and he was a member of the advisory board of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission from 1990 to 1993.

From 1988 to 1993, Mr. Tonsager was a board member of Green Thumb, Inc., a nationwide job training program for senior citizens. Until recently he served on the board of Lutheran Social Services of South Dakota.

Mr. Tonsager grew up on a dairy farm near Oldham, South Dakota. In partnership with his brother, he owns Plainview Farm in Oldham, a family farming operation that includes corn, soybeans, wheat, and hay.

Mr. Tonsager is a graduate of South Dakota State University, where he earned a B.S. in agriculture in 1976. He and his wife, Sharon, have two sons and a daughter-in-law.