STATE

South Dakota conservation suffering amid ag boom, officials say

High prices for farm commodities have farmers smiling, but those profits are having a negative impact on South Dakota’s natural resources.

By Tom Lawrence , March 08, 2012

SD Beef Industry Council seeks producer input

PIERRE — Directors who manage the beef checkoff program in South Dakota are anxious to hear from the state’s beef and dairy producers who pay the $1 checkoff.

By News release , March 03, 2012

Tax break for Groton elevator defeated

PIERRE — Legislation that would have helped a Brown County agriculture producer with his property taxes has been set aside, at least for this year.

By Bob Mercer , February 29, 2012

SD farmers, students to celebrate National Ag Week

SIOUX FALLS (AP) — Students from across the state will not only eat pizza next week — they'll also learn how farmers helped produce it.

February 29, 2012

Hauck steps down, helps in transition

The leader of North Dakota State University's Extension Service in Fargo is stepping down. Extension service director Duane Hauck officially retires Dec. 30, will return in January part-time in a 40 percent assignment. A national search for a permanent director is under way.

By Mikkel Pates , December 19, 2011

Winter wheat acres remain stable in ND

FARGO, N.D. — Winter wheat acres have remained stable in North Dakota.

January 12, 2011

Farm accident kills 92-year-old man in Rockland

September 09, 2010

Area farm among those to be honored as quasquicentennial farms at ceremony today

HOWARD — The South Dakota State Fair isn’t the only thing marking a 125th anniversary.
Dozens of farms that are still owned by relatives of the first farmers from 125 years ago will be recognized at the State Fair today in Huron. The inaugural Quasquicentennial Farm Families recognition ceremony will be held at 11:00 this morning.
The State Fair had its “preview night” Wednesday and officially opens today, with a schedule that runs through Monday.

By Tom Lawrence , September 02, 2010

S.D. ranch goes grass-fed, now embraces agritourism

EDGEMONT (AP) — Edgemont-area rancher Mark Hollenbeck is capitalizing on two agricultural trends at once.
He started his Sunrise Ranch five years ago, looking to include hunting as agritourism.
But today, the six-bedroom hunting lodge he built houses vacationers who don’t want to shoot their dinner. Instead, they want to learn about Sunrise’s organic, grass-fed beef and lamb production.

By Barbara Soderlin , August 09, 2010

Drowning claims state ag secretary, UWRF grad Rod Nilsestuen

Wisconsin Secretary of Agriculture Rod Nilsestuen drowned late Wednesday afternoon or evening while swimming in Lake Superior. Nilsestuen, a UW-River Falls graduate, had spent the day volunteering on a Habitat for Humanity project in the Upper Pennisula.

July 22, 2010

Hail causes area crop damage

Some Brule County farmers could be facing crop losses of 20 percent to 100 percent from hail that struck that area Tuesday night.
Dime- to golf-ball-size hail pelted crops in a large, spotty area, said Jim Anderson, Brule/Buffalo County Farm Service Agency executive director.
The worst damage occurred south of Chamberlain, near Pukwana and south toward the Charles Mix and Aurora county lines, he said.

By Melanie Brandert , July 08, 2010

Banking panel clears way for $30M loan to Northern Beef

PIERRE — The South Dakota Banking Commission decided Tuesday that a small group of secret investors doesn’t need a state lending license to make a short-term $30 million construction loan to Northern Beef Packers to complete and start operating a new plant at Aberdeen.
The loan was described during the 15-minute hearing as the last major piece in reviving the stalled project, which is a key component in Gov. Mike Rounds’ South Dakota Certified program for raising, butchering and marketing quality beef that can be specifically tracked from the pasture to the feed lot to the table.

By Bob Mercer , June 30, 2010

Entrapment fears rise with corn storage

Among the inherent dangers of farming, working in or around grain bins and gravity boxes remains near the top of the list. In a matter of seconds, a farmer can become trapped in grain, unable to move and breathe. Suffocation usually follows.
That was the case in Elkton earlier this spring. Roy Clark, 77, of Elkton, climbed into a grain bin and, according to Brookings County Assistant Sheriff Scott Sebring, was buried in corn.

June 22, 2010

S.D. Wheat Growers get loan for project

PIERRE — The South Dakota Wheat Growers cooperative wants to build a new grain storage and loading facility near Roscoe as part of a broader $70 million expansion plan throughout its network of facilities. A key piece of the financing plan for the Roscoe unit moved into place Wednesday.

By Bob Mercer , June 17, 2010

Railroad chugging along with rebuilding schedule

The Dakota Southern Railway would welcome federal stimulus funds to speed redevelopment, co-owner Stan Patterson said recently, but grant or no grant, the railroad plans to move ahead with rebuilding plans.
Those plans include rebuilding track from Mitchell to Murdo within three years. The Mitchell-to-White Lake segment will be rehabilitated first, followed by the line from White Lake to Chamberlain. The final leg in the plan is to open the remainder of the track to Murdo.

By Ross Dolan , June 03, 2010