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CITY, ND – (NewsDakota.com) Jerry Effertz of Velva, ND and Ambrose Hoff of Richardton, ND will be inducted into the North Dakota Agriculture Hall of Fame durng the 79th annual North Dakota Winter Show on Saturday, March 12.

Jerry Effertz is an active rancher in the Velva, ND area. While attending graduate school at NDSU, Jerry started farming part-time with his mother and, in 1970, returned home to Velva to take over the farming operation. A beef herd was started and through cross-breeding and artificial insemination, a purebred Limousin herd was developed. Today the operation is known as Effertz Black Butte Acres, also home to Black Butte Adventures, an agriculture and nature tourism destination.

Jerry Effertz
Jerry Effertz

In addition to being a progressive and lifelong livestock producer, Jerry has contributed greatly to our state’s agriculture industry, through his involvement on numerous Ag and community organizations. He is a founding member of the ND Limousin Association, has been a member of the ND Stockmen’s Association for over 50 years, is a member of the ND Beef Commission and is also on the State Board of Agricultural Research and Education. In addition, he was involved with the initiation of the ND Junior Beef Expo and the ND Junior Point Show Program. His vision was to create incentives for youth to become more actively involved in the exhibition and promotion of cattle, while supporting rural ND communities and enhancing the fairs and livestock shows held in those communities. Jerry has also supported North Dakota’s beef industry internationally, as a Federation of State Beef Councils Director since 2009, and has also been a director of the U.S. Meat Export Federation and served on numerous national joint checkoff committees. In 2011, Jerry, along with a delegate from the U.S. Meat Export Federation, represented the U.S. beef industry on a trade mission to the Pacific Rim.

Jerry has been on the Minot Area and Velva Chamber of Commerce, NDSU Foundation Board, Norsk Hostfest Board, ND State Fair Board and many others. His honors include NDSU’s Outstanding Agriculturist Award, Agri-International Stockman of the Year and the GNDA Agriculture Award. Jerry and his wife Norma have been married nearly 50 years and have two daughters, Maria and Kayla.

Ambrose Hoff is a native of Richardton, ND, whose business ventures have impacted agriculture across our state and are recognized nationwide. Hoff began farming in the 70’s and, that same decade, built a new facility in Richardton that housed steel manufacturing. From there, he established Hoff Bale Carriers, which simplified life for the average hay maker. He also took on a dealership for Vermeer Equipment, starting with the hay equipment line and later the industrial line. The venture evolved into Stone Mill Inc., which is now the largest organic food flax processing facility in North America.
In 2001 Hoff invited his family to start a new business venture with him and Amber Waves Inc. was established. They began making hopper bottom grain bins and started an electrics division, which produced custom-made circuit boards; later FRAC sand tanks for the oil industry were added.

Ambrose Hoff
Ambrose Hoff

Over the past 14 years Amber Waves has steadily increased production by adding labor, equipment and facility enhancements and they now produce over 700 grain bins per year. Hoff was also instrumental in the building of Red Trail Energy Ethanol Plant; he currently serves as a board member of Red Trail Energy, Richardton Economic Development Company and Stark Development Corporation.

In 2013 Hoff was featured in an issue of “AgWeek” for his numerous contributions to the Richardton community, which helped the town capitalize on a booming oil economy. The businesses he has launched have brought nearly 125 jobs to the town of 700, with the most recent being a local grocery store. In addition to his business ventures, Hoff currently farms approximately 4500 acres of land and has recently passed the beef cattle operation on to the next generation. He and his wife Charlotte have four children, Jody (Marla), Tanja (Ryan), Daneen (Ty) and Kalvin (Caitlin) and 11 grand children.

Each year, the inductees are selected by the ND Ag Hall of Fame Committee, which is comprised of the following agricultural groups and organizations: ND Lamb & Wool Producers, ND Grain Growers, ND Stockmen’s Association, ND Oilseed Council, ND Dept. of Agriculture, ND Pork Producers Council, NDSU Extension Service, ND Farm Bureau, ND Farmers Union, ND Vocational Agriculture, North Dakota Winter Show, ND Implement Dealers Association, Red River Valley Sugarbeet Growers, Northern Pulse Growers Association and a representative from ND’s farm broadcasters and Ag journalists.

This year, the induction ceremony will take place on Saturday, March 12th, at 1:45 pm, in the main arena of the North Dakota Winter Show Event Center. The ceremony is during the 79th Annual North Dakota Winter Show March 5-12. For additional information contact the NDWS office, at 1-800-437-0218, or view www.northdakotawintershow.com.

The home for the state’s Agriculture Hall of Fame is at the North Dakota Winter Show Event Center and also on display at the Rosebud Visitor’s Center, both in Valley City.