BROOKINGS, S.D. (9-14-26) — First National Bank in Sioux Falls Agribusiness Division and Market President Brian Gilbert have been named the 2026 recipients of the South Dakota State University Friend of the Beef Industry award.
First National Bank in Sioux Falls has supported South Dakota’s beef industry through specialized agricultural lending, risk‑management services, industry advocacy and leadership development.
“Brian and the Ag Division of First National Bank in Sioux Falls have been strong proponents of the cattle industry in South Dakota, and their work has strengthened cattle producers’ financial resilience and the long-term viability of the entire industry,” said Joe Cassady, SD Corn Endowed Dean of the College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences.
Gilbert grew up on a family farm near Hitchcock, where his family grew corn and soybeans and ran a cow-calf operation currently managed by his brother. He graduated from SDSU in 2002 with degrees in agricultural business and economics. This background, understanding real-world production cycles and the capital needs of a modern operation, help him inform First National Bank in Sioux Falls’ lending and risk management approach when working with beef producers.
“I grew up in farming, and I maintain a cow-calf herd now, so from the producer side I know what they’re facing, what they’re up against,” Gilbert said.
Passionate about helping the next generation return to the farm, Gilbert works with the First National Bank in Sioux Falls team and national and state programs to help family farms expand to bring people back. Not just a local advocate for future generations, Gilbert testified before Congress in July 2025 on behalf of the Independent Community Bankers of America’s Rural America and Agriculture Committee about issues affecting farm and ranch credit and risk management.
“I spoke about the need to extend credit to people who want to come back and fulfill their dreams of farming,” Gilbert said. “Community banks are the lifeblood of rural communities, and to be even a small part of that is very humbling.”
Closer to home, Gilbert has previously served on the boards of the Stockyard Ag Experience, the Independent Community Banks of South Dakota and was a member of the South Dakota Ag and Rural Leadership Class IX. Community endeavors all fully supported by the First National Bank in Sioux Falls. In 2020 Gilbert was named Agri-Business Citizen of the Year by the Sioux Falls Chamber of Commerce Agri-Business Division for his dedication. He currently serves on the South Dakota State University Board of Trustees, and his employer partnered with the university to create the Brian D. Gilbert Scholarship to support students pursuing agricultural careers and help develop the next generation of agricultural leaders.
About South Dakota State University
Founded in 1881, South Dakota State University is the state’s Morrill Act land-grant institution as well as its largest, most comprehensive school of higher education. SDSU confers degrees from seven different colleges representing more than 230 majors, minors and specializations. The institution also offers 39 master’s degree programs, 17 Ph.D. and two professional programs.
The work of the university is carried out on a residential campus in Brookings, at sites in Sioux Falls, Pierre and Rapid City, and through Extension offices and Agricultural Experiment Station research sites across the state. SDSU’s research expenditures for the 2025 fiscal year were more than $94 million. SDSU has a Doctoral University: High Research Activity designation on The Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education.
For more information:SDSU News • www.sdstate.edu
— From SDSU University Marketing and Communications
