Matt Dahle combines tech with agriculture at ‘revolutionary’ business

This week’s Up-and-Comer is Matt Dahle, a sales development team leader at Farmers Business Network.

Name:  Matt Dahle

Age:  23

Hometown:  Ellendale, Minn.

Matt Dahle

What brought you to Sioux Falls?

In the four years I spent at SDSU, I grew and changed as a person. After graduation, I took a job back across the eastern border in Minnesota and immediately felt like something was missing. I think it was only a matter of time before I ended up back in South Dakota. When I realized that I wanted to come back to South Dakota, I found that Sioux Falls was the perfect place to return to — it’s growing, it’s young, full of energy, and now it’s home.

What keeps you in Sioux Falls?

My job, my friends and the community. I lived out in Washington, D.C., for a summer, loved the work but had few friends and didn’t enjoy living in a city so different from the Midwest in which I grew up. After college, I lived in a small town in Minnesota. I enjoyed the work, had few friends close by and still didn’t feel at home in the community. In Sioux Falls, I found all three.

What’s your favorite thing about your job?

Farmers Business Network is a completely revolutionary agricultural company. FBN is radically innovating in support of the farmer. We are a tech company working in the agricultural space — a combination of Silicon Valley innovation and the willpower of the American heartland. In my position, I get to work with farmers every day, but I also get to work with some of the brightest entrepreneurs in the world. For me, that is a perfect combination.

How did you get connected to your industry?

I guess I was always heading towards working in agriculture. In college, I studied agricultural leadership with minors in ag business and political science. I had wanted to work for a trade group or on a congressional staff out of college, but I learned that my interest in the political world was more of a hobby than anything serious. At FBN, I found another way to work on behalf of farmers.

Describe Farmers Business Network in three words.

Innovative. Disruptive. Challenging.  At our core, we are a tech startup. A common quote in our office is, “The only thing that is constant is change.” Being a startup, we face challenges that the traditional agricultural companies don’t face but also leaves us nimble and innovative enough to adapt where they can’t.

What’s one business you’d like to see in Sioux Falls that isn’t here now?

Raising Cane’s. I do love good chicken fingers.

Where do you see yourself in five years?

My first real experience in South Dakota was on a college visit to SDSU. When I visited, it seemed as if three-quarters of the campus was under construction. For me, that wasn’t a turnoff. I saw SDSU as a place that was trying to grow and trying to be better. That fit with where I was in life. I wanted to grow, and I wanted to do bigger and better things. Somewhere down the line, I realized that that pursuit of excellence wasn’t confined to my university, it was across South Dakota. I want to grow with this state and with my company.

Want to stay in the know?

Get our free business news delivered to your inbox.



Matt Dahle combines tech with agriculture at ‘revolutionary’ business

Meet Matt Dahle, a sales development team leader at Farmers Business Network.

News Tip

Have a business news item to share with us?

Scroll to top