SDSPA Accepting Applications for Specialty Crop Program Contractor

Oct 29, 2025

The South Dakota Specialty Crop Producers Association (sdSPA) invites highly motivated and qualified individuals to serve as an Independent Contractor to support critical educational outreach and program development efforts.

This vital contract position is responsible for executing the key goals of a three-year specialty crop grant, serving as the lead to coordinate specialized programs designed to educate South Dakota producers and manage the development of an essential Farmers Market Toolkit, ultimately driving the promotion and growth of specialty crops throughout the state.

The initial contract is for Year 1, with renewal for Years 2 and 3 contingent upon satisfactory performance and the achievement of stated deliverables.

Compensation and Commitment

Position Status: Independent Contractor
Year 1 Commitment: 216 hours
Compensation Rate: $37 per hour

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Video: Root Exudates, Soil Biology, and How Plants Recruit Microbes | Field Talk Friday

Field Talk Friday | Dr. John Murphy | Root Exudates, Soil Biology, and How Plants Recruit Microbes

Most of us spend our time managing what we can see above ground—plant height, leaf color, stand counts, and yield potential. But the deeper you dig into agronomy, the more you realize that some of the most important processes driving crop performance are happening just millimeters below the surface.

In this episode of Field Talk Friday, Dr. John Murphy continues the soil biology series by diving into one of the most fascinating topics in modern agronomy: root exudates and the role they play in shaping the microbial world around plant roots.

Roots are not passive structures simply pulling nutrients out of the soil. They are active participants in the underground ecosystem. Plants constantly release compounds into the soil—sugars, amino acids, organic acids, and other molecules—that act as both energy sources and signals for soil microbes.