ND Ag Hall Of Fame Inductees

Everett Tool

Everett Tool was employed with the North Dakota State Seed Department for over 20 years, eventually being appointed North Dakota State Seed Commissioner in 1968. He was born and raised on a farm near Mandan and graduated from NDSU with a B.S. in Agricultural Education and M.S. in Plant Sciences. Everett opened the Vocational Agriculture Department in Elgin, ND, and while there developed one of the strongest FFA Chapters in the State.  During WWII, he organized and supervised regional tractor and farm machinery repair, which helped maintain agricultural production while resources were diverted to the war effort. Everett was employed by NDSU as the Assistant State Supervisor of Agriculture and also worked with the Veteran Farm Training Program. In the 1960s, he co-founded ND Grain Inspection, pioneering the application of uniform federal standards in the state. In 1977, he posthumously received the North Dakota State Crops Show Distinguished Service Award; he had contributed significantly to the Crops Show and Crops Judging Contest held at the North Dakota Winter Show and also developed the original list of items to be considered in crops judging. He was particularly satisfied with his development of a method for testing for loose smut in barley seed, by use of the embryo test, thus saving North Dakota farmers thousands of dollars. Everett found great joy in promoting agriculture in the state and relished the time he had to simply discuss farmer’s crops or methods to improve their crop production.

Year Inducted: 2012