The 6th Annual Danny Bruce Memorial Sicangu Drifters RC & Rivers Edge Restaurant Poker Run will take place on Saturday, September 12th beginning at Rivers Edge Restaurant, in White River, South Dakota. Registration will start at 10:00 a.m. with departure at 11:00 a.m. The entry fee is $25. For more information please call 605-840-4862.
All posts by Leslie Schramm
Coverage from Presho and Fort Pierre this week
Friday night, many of our area high school football teams will kickoff their seasons. We will have coverage of two games this week. On Magic 93, Chris Doski will have the call for the Burke at Lyman matchup. Pre-game coverage from Presho will start at around 6:30. On Country 1260, Scott Schramm and Brett Gardner will cover the Winner at Stanley County game. Pre-game coverage will start at around 6:30.
Winner City Council Agenda Special Budget Retreat Today
The Winner City Council is holding a Special Budget Retreat today from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 pm. in the Council Chambers. The public is welcome to attend throughout the day and a schedules of items to be discussed can be found on the City’s facebook page as well as outside the window at City Hall.
SDSU Extension to Hold Educational Webinars During Dakotafest Virtual 2020
As part of Dakotafest, which is being held in a virtual format this year from August 18-20, SDSU Extension experts are hosting educational webinars on each day of the event. The webinars will focus on beef health and nutrition, food preservation, meat safety, climate updates, and farm safety and management.
Webinar schedule:
August 18, 3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m: SDSU Extension Beef Health & Nutrition
- Mineral Nutrition: Setting Calves up for Weaning Success – Adele Harty, SDSU Extension Cow/Calf Field Specialist. Mineral nutrition plays key roles in calf health and immune function. Evaluating your mineral program and making adjustments prior to weaning can help ensure calf health and immune function when calves are faced with this stressful event.
- Livestock Risk Protection – Matthew Diersen, Professor and SDSU Extension Risk/Business Management Specialist. Recent changes to Livestock Risk Protection (LRP) may increase its appeal to producers with price risk. The role of LRP in a marketing plan will be discussed.
- Preparing Calves for the Feedlot – Warren Rusche, SDSU Extension Beef Feedlot Management Associate. Weaning time is fast approaching. Taking the right steps leading up to and during weaning can make all the difference between success and failure
August 19, 3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m: SDSU Extension Agronomy – Safety, Management and Climate Updates
- 2020 South Dakota Growing Season Climate – Laura Edwards, SDSU Extension State Climatologist. An overview of the 2020 growing season will be discussed with an outlook for the fall and winter seasons.
- Grain Bin Safety – John Keimig, SDSU Extension Youth Safety Field Specialist. Safety considerations in and around grain bins on the farming operation will be discussed.
- Fan Selection for Grain Bins: Basic concepts and tools – Xufei Yang, Assistant Professor and SDSU Extension Environmental Quality Engineer. Understand the types of fans used for grain bins, their basic concepts and explore an online tool to assist with fan selection.
August 20, 2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m: SDSU Extension Food Preservation and Meat Safety
- Food Preservation – Megan Erickson, SDSU Extension Nutrition Field Specialist and Hope Kleine, SDSU Extension Health Education and Food Safety Field Specialist. Food preservation experts will talk about safe home food preservation techniques. Water bath canning, pressure canning, freezing and drying practices will be covered.
- Meat Safety and Preparation – Amanda Blair, Professor and SDSU Extension Meat Science Specialist. During this presentation, Blair will discuss tips for selecting cuts of meat, preparation methods and steps consumers can take to ensure food safety when handling and cooking meat. She will also share ways to stretch your budget when purchasing meat and exploring different options for buying meat in bulk.
For more information, visit https://extension.sdstate.edu/event/dakotafest.
Caldwell wins Hot Springs Invite
Chamberlain’s Cameron Caldwell won Tuesday’s Hot Springs Golf Invite as he shot a 75. Cade Kandolin of St. Thomas More was runner up with an 80. Drayton Priebe of Chamberlain was fourth with an 82. Winner’s Karson Keiser was 7th with an 84. Dakota Munger of Chamberlain was 8th with an 89 while Ryder Halligan of Winner shot an 89 to finish 9th.
Preseason High School Football Poll- Warriors ranked #1 in 11B
The preseason South Dakota Prep Media Football Polls have been released. In Class 11AAA, Roosevelt is ranked #1. In 11AA, Pierre is ranked first. In 11A, Canton is ranked first. The Winner Warriors are the top ranked team in 11B while Bridgewater-Emery/Ethan is ranked second. Atop the 9AA preseason poll is Viborg/Hurley. Platte/Geddes is receiving votes. In 9A, Canisota/Freeman is ranked number one while Gregory is ranked third and Burke is receiving votes. In 9B, the preseason number one ranked team is Wolsey-Wessington.
Platte Cruise Night
During Cruise Night in Platte, S.D., Lieuwen’s Hardware will be serving a meal to all Platte area healthcare workers from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. in appreciation for their services and dedication to the community’s needs..
Baseball scores from Sunday
State Amateur Baseball came to a close for the season on Sunday at Cadwell Park in Mitchell. At the State A Tournament, the Sioux Falls Brewers defeated the Brookings Cubs, 7-2. The Class B State Tournament was won by the Alexandria Angels as they took down the Canova Gang, 11-3. It is the fifth state championship for the Angels. In Major League Baseball on Sunday afternoon, the Minnesota Twins beat the Kansas City Royals, 4-2. The two teams will play again at Target Field tonight at 7:10.
Stress and Mental Health Resources Available to South Dakota Producers, Family Members and Friends
April blizzards, wet planting and harvest conditions, low commodity prices, and trade concerns made 2019 a stressful year for many South Dakotans. Disruptions to production and marketing practices had many producers looking toward 2020 with optimism for a better year ahead.
At the start of 2020, some fields still needed to be harvested, or otherwise destroyed, before planting the new crop. Overly wet field conditions were replaced with D0 & D1 drought rankings, packing plants were shut down or slowed down across the nation, and prices for many commodities declined even further.
All of these market and production variables are factors leading to an increased level of stress carried by farm and ranch families and those in related businesses.
“We never know what the new year is going to bring,” said Heather Gessner, SDSU Extension Livestock Business Management Field Specialist. “The unexpected challenges of overly wet conditions, drought or lack of market options can add to the daily stress for those working in agriculture. As harvest season approaches, unforeseen repair expenses, weather delays and trying to get a lot done in a short period of time can increase the stress of everyday tasks.”
Mental Health First Aid
SDSU Extension is offering Mental Health First Aid courses to help South Dakotans understand the signs, symptoms, possible risk factors and possible warning signs of mental health problems. Participants will learn the Mental Health First Aid Action Plan and how it fits within the array of interventions available to address mental health problems.
“With chronic stress in agriculture, an increase in depressive and anxiety symptoms are being observed among farmers and ranchers,” said Andrea Bjornestad, SDSU Extension Mental Health Specialist.
The training would be beneficial to those working in agriculture (e.g., farmer, rancher, spouse, agribusiness professional, lender, etc.) as participants will learn how to assist someone, such as a farmer or rancher, who is experiencing a mental health or substance-use related crisis.
“The course does not teach counseling skills and should not replace the role of the counselor,” said Bjornestad. “Instead, participants learn specific steps in providing assistance during a mental health crisis including the referral process.”
The training requires the completion of two hours of self-paced online course preparation and four hours of virtual training. Virtual trainings will be offered on multiple occasions throughout August, September and October. Those interested in participating can visit https://extension.sdstate.edu/events to register for the training, free of cost.
Additionally, SDSU Extension offers resources regarding signs of stress, communicating among families about finances and the farm operation, receiving assistance from a counselor and other agricultural stressors at www.extension.sdstate.edu/tags/farm-stress.
Additional Resources
Producers, along with their friends and family members, have access to the free Avera Rural Stress Hotline at 1.800.691.4336. Calls are answered by industry-aware counselors who understand agriculture and provide assistance or referral information related to the caller’s concerns.
“Producers should know that it is okay to seek help,” said Gessner. “When they don’t know how to stop a weed, they can call an agronomist. When calves are getting sick, they can call a veterinarian. Producers are strong, but they don’t have to be strong alone.”
For mental health questions and additional resources, contact Andrea Bjornestad, SDSU Extension Mental Health Specialist at andrea.bjornestad@sdstate.edu or 605.688.5125. For information about Mental Health First Aid Training, contact Lorna Saboe-Wounded Head, SDSU Extension Family Resource Management Field Specialist at Lorna.WoundedHead@sdstate.edu or 605.782.3290; or Heather Gessner, SDSU Extension Livestock Business Management Field Specialist, at heather.gessner@sdstate.edu or 605.782.3290.
Pheasants fall to Angels
The Alexandria Angels defeated Winner/Colome on Saturday in the semifinal round of the State B Amateur Baseball Tournament at Cadwell Park in Mitchell by a final score of 13-2. The Pheasants got off to a good start as Chandler Bakley scored the first run of the game for Winner/Colome as he hit an RBI single that scored Reed Harter. The Angels however would quickly respond as they scored four times in the bottom half of the first and kept the bats rolling as they led 11-1 after three innings and didn’t ever look back. The Angels will take on the Canova Gang on Sunday for the State B Championship at around 2:30. The Pheasants end their season with an overall record of 17 wins and 4 losses.