Wieker and Hawkinson Complete TAL Program
Sep 04, 2025
Brady Wieker and Alan Hawkinson Complete the Tomorrow's Ag Leaders Program!
The Tomorrow's Ag Leaders program is a leadership development program sponsored by the South Dakota Agri-Business Association. This program is designed to improve the leadership skills of men and women throughout South Dakota working in agri-business. Through this program, Full Circle Ag employees have had the opportunity to strengthen their leadership and communication skills, network with other agri-business professionals, and increase their understanding of the state and federal legislative process.
In 2025, we had two employees complete the program: Alan Hawkinson and Bradyn Wieker.
Here’s what they had to say regarding the program:
Brady
I decided to join the TAL program due to experiences I had heard from fellow employees, friends, and family that have completed the program. I was also interested in gaining a deeper understanding of the legislative process. I didn’t realize how few advocates for agriculture there were in the world of politics and just how important lobbying really is.
One of the most surprising pieces of information learned was how important lobbying is. These politicians need people in front of them explaining the struggles people face every day in agriculture. They don’t understand the small-town struggles of agriculture and how important it is to our communities.
Takeaways from the program included time spent at South Dakota’s Capital building in Pierre along with time spent in Washington DC. While in Pierre, I initially learned about lobbying and some of the behind the scenes. Then in DC, I really learned how important lobbying is. I was able to witness our representatives and many larger companies advocating certain issues in agriculture and how it is affecting our communities and states.
Alan
I found the TAL Program very beneficial for myself. One piece of information I found most interesting was how things are done politically. As a class, we had the opportunity to sit in at a few different meetings and boards regarding the rules and regulations that affect the agriculture community. I would encourage any individual looking to make a difference to join this program at some point in their career.
Congratulations to Brady and Alan for graduating in the 2025 Tomorrow’s Ag Leaders Class.
Previous Full Circle Ag TAL Graduates:
2024: Hope Buller
2023: Jackson Tisher
2022: Kelli Erickson
2020-2021: Tony Lyren
2019: Casey Erickson & Angela Hawkinson
2018: Eric Paulson
The Tomorrow's Ag Leaders program is a leadership development program sponsored by the South Dakota Agri-Business Association. This program is designed to improve the leadership skills of men and women throughout South Dakota working in agri-business. Through this program, Full Circle Ag employees have had the opportunity to strengthen their leadership and communication skills, network with other agri-business professionals, and increase their understanding of the state and federal legislative process.
In 2025, we had two employees complete the program: Alan Hawkinson and Bradyn Wieker.
Here’s what they had to say regarding the program:
Brady
I decided to join the TAL program due to experiences I had heard from fellow employees, friends, and family that have completed the program. I was also interested in gaining a deeper understanding of the legislative process. I didn’t realize how few advocates for agriculture there were in the world of politics and just how important lobbying really is.
One of the most surprising pieces of information learned was how important lobbying is. These politicians need people in front of them explaining the struggles people face every day in agriculture. They don’t understand the small-town struggles of agriculture and how important it is to our communities.
Takeaways from the program included time spent at South Dakota’s Capital building in Pierre along with time spent in Washington DC. While in Pierre, I initially learned about lobbying and some of the behind the scenes. Then in DC, I really learned how important lobbying is. I was able to witness our representatives and many larger companies advocating certain issues in agriculture and how it is affecting our communities and states.
Alan
I found the TAL Program very beneficial for myself. One piece of information I found most interesting was how things are done politically. As a class, we had the opportunity to sit in at a few different meetings and boards regarding the rules and regulations that affect the agriculture community. I would encourage any individual looking to make a difference to join this program at some point in their career.
Congratulations to Brady and Alan for graduating in the 2025 Tomorrow’s Ag Leaders Class.
Previous Full Circle Ag TAL Graduates:
2024: Hope Buller
2023: Jackson Tisher
2022: Kelli Erickson
2020-2021: Tony Lyren
2019: Casey Erickson & Angela Hawkinson
2018: Eric Paulson