McAreavey family named Farm Family of the Year
Both McAreavey daughters are heavily involved in showing cattle, are active members of the South Dakota Junior Hereford Association and the South Dakota Junior Angus Association and grew up participating in FFA and 4-H.
For Jeff and Gidget McAreavey of Crooks, being deeply involved in agricultural and community activities is a way of life.
The McAreavey family has been honored as the 2025 Farm Family of the Year by the Agribusiness Division of the Greater Sioux Falls Chamber of Commerce.
Jeff and Gidget live on the farm where Jeff grew up, located on the edge of Crooks, with their two teenage daughters, Ireland and Kendall. After graduating from Tri-Valley High School in 1995, Jeff earned a degree in John Deere ag technology at the North Dakota State College of Science in Wahpeton. It was there he met Gidget, a native of Valley City, North Dakota, who was pursuing an associate’s degree as an occupational therapy assistant. Gidget later completed her bachelor’s degree in occupational therapy at the University of Mary in Bismarck, North Dakota.
The couple married in 1998 and lived in a mobile home on the family farm until 2007, when Jeff’s parents built a house just to the east of the homeplace. Before taking over the family farm in 2015, Jeff gained valuable experience working at Dakotaland Equipment (now Kibble) in Madison and Humboldt until 2003, and later at Scherer Inc. in Sioux Falls until 2015. Gidget, meanwhile, worked at Prairie Rehabilitation for more than 20 years and now serves as an occupational therapist at the VA Medical Center in Sioux Falls.
Although Jeff had always helped his dad, Mike, on the farm, he never thought he’d transition to full-time farming. Today, he raises corn, soybeans, alfalfa, along with a herd of approximately 80 purebred Angus, Hereford and crossbred cows. This year, they’re experimenting with embryo transplants, eagerly awaiting results when calving begins in March.
While Gidget grew up a city girl, she sees the value of FFA and 4-H in shaping their daughters and other youth in the community. She appreciates the responsibility Ireland and Kendall have developed through participating in contest practices, being part of a team and caring for their purebred Hereford and Angus cattle.
“They’re not in sports,” Gidget said. “We joke that showing cattle and doing these things–that’s their sport. I truly think FFA has pushed them out of their comfort zones and made them try things they otherwise wouldn’t have.”
Ireland and Kendall are heavily involved in showing cattle and are active members of the South Dakota Junior Hereford Association and South Dakota Junior Angus Association. Ireland, who has been on the Hereford board for four years, served as the South Dakota Hereford Queen and is currently president-elect of the association. Kendall serves on the South Dakota Junior Angus board.
Jeff and Gidget credit FFA and 4-H activities with broadening their daughters’ horizons.
“It’s a good opportunity for them to try different careers–to figure out which way they want to end up, instead of getting into life and then trying to figure it out,” Jeff said.
“These things are going to carry over into their adult lives,” Gidget added. “We’re already seeing that because Ireland would have never had been willing to or wanted to run for state Hereford president if she hadn’t done these other things. It has given them the courage to stand up in front of people and talk and just not be afraid.”
Jeff and Ireland McAreavey are pictured caring for cattle on their family farm.
Jeff, who grew up participating in FFA and showing sheep in 4-H, remains deeply engaged in the community. He serves on the Tri-Valley School Board, Benton Township Board, as the Minnehaha County 4-H sheep superintendent and with the Tri-Valley FFA Alumni Association.
After serving on a building task force for the school district and a failed bond issue, Jeff decided to run for school board and was elected. When he started, they were in the middle of building a $24 million elementary school in Crooks and had just started building the $45 million high school project. Teachers and students will be in the new high school for the spring semester.
“It’s been challenging, but it’s been fun to see it come together,” Jeff said. “It’ll be nice to have the kids in it.”
For Jeff, it’s satisfying to see the promises they made come to fruition, even with the challenges. His first day
on the township board in 2019 came with a torrential rainstorm that flooded roads and tore out culverts around Benton Township.
Even though she isn’t an FFA alum, Gidget is active in the Tri-Valley FFA Alumni Association alongside Jeff. Jeff co-chairs the ag mechanics career development event at the Tri-Valley FFA CDE, which will host its 26th contest in March. He also helps with the FFA shows at the Sioux Empire Fair hosted by the Tri-Valley FFA Alumni and for the last two years, he has helped run a youth calf show for Minnehaha County 4-H members at the Sioux Empire Livestock Show.
For the McAreavey family, life on the farm is more than a tradition—it’s a testament to their commitment to agriculture, youth development and community service. As the 2025 Farm Family of the Year, their story reflects the enduring values of South Dakota’s agricultural heritage, leaving a meaningful impact on their daughters and the generations to come.
