Kelly Brandlee

I'm a farm girl originally from Salem, SD, where my family raised cattle, crops and have a few horses. graduated from South Dakota State University with a degree in Advertising. I spent ten years working for our state commodity organizations (Ag United and SD Soybean), focused on consumer outreach and various producer outreach programs

Eventually, I found my way from Southeast SD to Northeast SD (thanks to my husband ;)) and spent the last five years working for Riverview (dairy farm), where I shared the story of dairy farming in the communities where we operate. I recently changed my off-the-farm career and am now the Communications Director for a local electric cooperative, Northern Electric.

My husband Clint and I farm with his parents near Pierpont, SD. We have two daughters, Jaycee (4) and Kylie (2). We raise Simmental/Angus cattle, corn, soybeans, alfalfa, and small grains and have a few horses. In May 2021, we sold our first beef under our USDA-inspected label, Back Forty Beef. We purchased an old Schwans truck and started attending local farmers' markets soon after we started shipping our beef nationwide. About a year in, we realized we had a lot of beef fat on hand we needed to do something with. I learned how to make tallow candles and started selling those as well

This fall, we will launch the Back Forty Beef Adventure Farm. While at the farm, guests will visit farm animals, eat at food trucks, play games (corn pit, bale slide, etc), and go through the 12-acre corn maze! We'll also have a farm shop selling our beef, local pumpkins, and other items. Several sponsors are coming on board, and we cannot wait to get going.