My name is Hunter Mathias. I am a 23-year-old graduate of NDSU crop and weed sciences. I was born and raised in Fargo. My passion for agriculture started at a young age. My mother’s side of the family lives in a small town in South Dakota where my parents and I would spend almost every holiday. While there, I learned how agriculture was important in my family’s lives. In the early 1900s, my grandfather on my mother’s side moved from a rural town in Missouri to Doland, South Dakota, where he planted his roots and met my grandmother. Since then, he has been the patriarch of an agriculture-centered family and its community. For over 100 years, my family has owned and operated a cattle farm, a crop farm, and a trucking company. I think this is where my passion for agriculture came from. I want to follow in my grandfather’s footsteps and provide quality food, fuel, and fiber for the communities that depend on it. 

My background in agriculture has been one of learning and doing. The first job I had in the agriculture field was in high school. I worked for the University of Minnesota Extension Agency as a field scout in the west central region of Minnesota. There I found my love for the outdoors and agriculture’s complex, wide-reaching scale. After spending three years with the extension agency, I secured an internship with a seed and chemical sales company around Casselton. This job showed me the ins and outs of the industry. It taught me how to communicate with customers effectively. My role at that company was one of labor and deliveries. I had to ensure growers got what they needed when they needed it. If they had any questions, I had to be able to answer them or help them find an answer. Now that I am part of Bonanza Ag, I will use what I learned at NDSU and experienced in the field. I am excited about the spring planting season and getting into the fields early and smoothly.