Dusty grew up in a large working-class family in central South Dakota. He has degrees from the University of South Dakota and the University of Kansas. Dusty has been an active community volunteer, having served as a Sunday School teacher, adjunct faculty member at Dakota Wesleyan University, and president and board member of Abbott House, an agency serving abused and neglected children. He lives in Mitchell with his wife and three sons. As a family, they enjoy hiking, camping, hunting, and reading.