Matt Eich is a new FIRST manager for the South Dakota Northeast regions. He has been a Crop Consultant with Centrol since 2008, and has been conducting contract research since 2021. Prior to Centrol, Matt worked at a co-op as a sales agronomist and Christensen Farms as a nutrient management specialist.  

Eich's interest in research started in college with an internship at Novartis, however it took a few years to start a new department within Centrol conducting small plot contract research. He is heavily involved with the National Alliance of Independent Crop Consultants (NAICC), serving on the Board of Directors as well as serving as President in 2019. Eich remains involved with NAICC as Co-Chair of the Government Affairs Committee.  Matt and His family reside in rural Volga, and raise sheep and goats for their children's 4-H projects.  

FIRST's new manager for the South Dakota southeast regions is Payden Peterson. He grew up on a family farm in southern Minnesota. Peterson graduated with an Associates degree in business management from South Central College in Mankato, MN in 2012 and worked for a local farmer after graduation. Peterson has been working with Mark Tollefson on South Dakota FIRST trials since the spring of 2017. He is staying busy farming with his uncle, and running Peterson Seed Testing. In Peterson's free time, he enjoys golfing, skiing, fishing, and watching Minnesota sports.