Jon Nelson
Jon Nelson is a lifelong Lake Preston resident and third-generation farmer whose grandfather emigrated from Norway after World War I to settle the family ground in Kingsbury County. He and his wife Cathy have farmed together for more than forty years and now operate roughly 3,000 acres of corn, soybeans, and wheat alongside their son. He serves as District 6 Director of the South Dakota Soybean Association, sits on the SDARL Foundation Board, and spent twelve years on the Lake Preston School Board — several as chair — before deciding to run for the District 8 House seat.
Why they’re
Sensible
Nelson is the kind of candidate the Sensible slate is built for: a working farmer whose résumé reads like a tour of the South Dakota institutions that actually run the state. Twelve years on the Lake Preston School Board — including time as chair — gave him a long, line-item view of how local boards spend money. As District 6 Director of the South Dakota Soybean Association he carries producer concerns from Kingsbury County into state and federal policy rooms. His soil-health program at the family farm has cut fertilizer use by roughly 40 percent — a real-world test of the property-rights, common-sense stewardship he says the next legislature has to defend.
Key positions
“My family has farmed this ground for three generations. The work is hard, the weather doesn't cooperate, and the next generation has to decide all over again whether to come home. That's the question that drives me.”
“I'm running to keep District 8 a place where the next generation of farmers, teachers, and tradespeople can afford to stay, raise a family, and serve their communities.”
“Producers don't need Pierre or Washington to tell them how to take care of their land — they need policy that gets out of the way of good stewardship and rewards the people who actually work the soil.”
“After twelve years sitting at the school-board table I learned what it takes to stretch a tight budget without cheating the kids. Pierre could stand to apply more of that small-town discipline to the state's checkbook.”
Also running for
SD State House · District 08
Every other candidate filed for this seat, listed for transparency. Our Sensible slate reflects the full field — not just a single pick.
“A cattleman, attorney, and South Dakotan through and through”
“Integrity, collaboration, and 25 years of legal service”