The South Dakota State University College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences and College of Education and Human Sciences will recognize three individuals as the Eminent Leaders in Agriculture, Family and Community during a banquet on January 28 at the McCrory Gardens Education and Visitor Center in Brookings, South Dakota.

The 2021 Eminent Leaders in Agriculture, Family and Community are Laron Krause of Clear Lake, South Dakota, Ree Reich of Belle Fourche, South Dakota, and Lawrence Vander Wal of Bruce, South Dakota.

Social hour will begin at 5:30 p.m. with the program starting at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $30 and can be purchased until January 21 from the Office of the Dean of the College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences located in Pugsley Center room 209 in Brookings on the SDSU campus or by calling 605-688-4148.

Established in 1927, the Eminent Leaders in Agriculture, Family and Community Award Program (formerly known as the Eminent Farmer/Rancher and Homemaker Award Program) recognizes South Dakota citizens for contributions of leadership and service on the local, state, and national levels.

Each year, SDSU selects individuals to honor based on confidential nominations. The nominations are reviewed and honorees are recommended by a committee of faculty members, administrators, SDSU Extension personnel and past award recipients. The honorees are approved by the deans of the College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences and College of Education and Human Sciences.

The honorees’ photos join the more than 300 portraits of Eminent Leaders in Agriculture, Family and Community that are displayed in the virtual gallery at sdstate.edu/eminent-leaders.

The 2022 Soil Health Conference will take place in Aberdeen, South Dakota on January 18th and 19th  at the Best Western Ramkota. The 2022 Soil Health Conference keynote speakers will be Dr. Kris Nichols, Jay Fuhrer, Anthony Bly, and Steve Kenyon.

The South Dakota State University (SDSU) Southeast Research Farm, in collaboration with SDSU Extension, will be hosting an Extension Symposium January 4 and 5, 2022, and exhibitor booth January 4-6, 2022, at the Dakota Farm Show in Vermillion, South Dakota.

The SDSU Southeast Research Farm will be located in Booth 247.

“These are all opportunities for farmers to get updates on research of their interest, and to visit directly with researchers at the end of sessions or during break times,” said Peter Sexton, SDSU Southeast Research Farm Supervisor.

Tuesday, January 4, 2022 Symposium Schedule:

• 10:00 a.m. CST – Corn NPK Update by Jason Clark, SDSU Extension Soil Fertility Specialist
• 10:30 a.m. – Corn Disease Review by Connie Strunk, SDSU Extension Plant Pathology Field Specialist
• 11:00 a.m. – Break
• 11:10 a.m. – Corn Rootworm by Adam Varenhorst, SDSU Extension Entomologist; and Philip Rozeboom, IPM Coordinator
• 11:30 a.m. – Corn Row Spacing by Peter Sexton, SDSU Southeast Research Farm Supervisor
• 1:30 p.m. – Beef Feedlot Research Update by Zach Smith, Assistant Professor in the Department of Animal Science
• 1:50 p.m. – Break
• 2:00 p.m. – Using Rye Grain in the Feedlot by Warren Rusche, SDSU Extension Feedlot Management Specialist
• 2:30 p.m. – Rye for Forage or Grain by Sara Bauder, SDSU Extension Agronomy Field Specialist

Wednesday, January 5, 2022 Symposium Schedule:

• 9:30 a.m. CST – Dicamba Movement by Rich Zollinger, North Dakota State University Professor Emeritus
• 10:30 a.m. – Break
• 10:45 a.m. – Weather Trends by Laura Edwards, SDSU Extension State Climatologist
• 11:10 a.m. – Soybean Gall Midge Update by Adam Varenhorst, SDSU Extension Entomologist, and Philip Rozeboom, IPM Coordinator
• 11:35 a.m. – Soybean Double Cropping with Rye by David Karki, SDSU Extension Agronomy Field Specialist and Peter Sexton, SDSU Southeast Research Farm Supervisor
• 12:00 p.m. – Break
• 1:30 p.m. – High Tunnels for Commercial Vegetable Production in South Dakota by Kristine Lang, SDSU Extension Consumer Horticulture Specialist
• 2:15 p.m. – Break
• 2:30 p.m. – Water-Bath Canning and Pickling by Tim Schreiner, Master Food Preserver

For more information about the Dakota Farm Show, visit https://dakotafarmshow.com/. For more information about the Extension Symposium, contact Peter Sexton, SDSU Southeast Research Farm Supervisor, at 605-563-2989 or peter.sexton@sdstate.edu; or Sara Bauder, SDSU Extension Agronomy Field Specialist, at 605-995-7378 or sara.bauder@sdstate.edu.

The City of Winner will meet tonight at 6:30 p.m. in the Winner City Council Chambers.  Please note that the City of Winner meets on the first and third Monday of each month unless otherwise specified.

Women in agriculture across South Dakota are invited to attend a Women on the Range Mini Winter Workshop in Fort Pierre and Pierre, South Dakota, on Jan. 14, 2022. Participants will learn about the importance of soil health and how to integrate it into their grazing management systems, as well as available winter feeding methods that also create ecosystem benefits.

“We’re excited to offer another Women on the Range event that showcases an operation that excels in considering all aspects — the soil, the plants and grazing livestock,” said Krista Ehlert, Assistant Professor and SDSU Extension Range Specialist.

The workshop will kick off at 1:00 p.m. CST at Crystal and Levi Neuharth’s Prairie Paradise Farms, located at 26220 212^th St. in Fort Pierre.

The schedule for the afternoon is as follows:

• 1:00 p.m. – Meet at Prairie Paradise Farms
• 1:15-1:30 p.m. – Check-in and Welcome
• 1:30-2:00 p.m. – Prairie Paradise Farms, Introductions and Overview
• 2:00-3:00 p.m. – Field Tour
• 3:30 p.m. – Meet at the SDSU Extension Regional Center located 412 W. Missouri Ave. in Pierre
• 3:45-4:15 p.m. – Ecosystem Benefits of Alternative Winter Feeding Methods
• 4:15-4:45 p.m. – Alternative Winter Feeding Methods Overview
• 4:45-5:00 p.m. – Wrap-up

The event registration fee is $20, and participants must pre-register on the SDSU Extension Events page at extension.sdstate.edu prior to the event.

For more information or questions, contact Krista Ehlert, Assistant Professor and SDSU Extension Range Specialist, at (605) 394-2236 or Krista.Ehlert@sdstate.edu.

The City of Winner will hold their City Council meeting on Monday, January 3rd at 6:30 p.m. in the City Council Chambers for their first meeting of the 2022 year.  Please note that the City of Winner meets on the first and third Monday of each month.

The SDSU Department of Animal Science, alongside the South Dakota Sheep Growers Association and the SDSU Athletics Department, will be hosting the 30th Annual SDSU Lamb Bonanza at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, January 15, 2022. The event will be held in conjunction with the SDSU men’s basketball game against the University of Denver at Frost Arena on the SDSU campus.

“Lamb Bonanza showcases the integral role of the lamb and wool industries in South Dakota,” said Kelly Froehlich, Assistant Professor and SDSU Extension Small Ruminant Production Specialist.

Prior to tipoff, members of the South Dakota Sheep Growers Association will be serving lamb sliders and lamb spread crackers on the north side of the track in Frost Arena from 1:00-2:00 p.m.

Six SDSU lamb pelts will be auctioned at half time. Four pelts will feature the SDSU letters and two will feature the Jackrabbit. Proceeds from the auction will support undergraduate scholarships for animal science students and student athletes.

SDSU Signature Wool Project products will be on display with purchasing information for those interested. Proceeds from the project are used to provide scholarship support to students in the animal science and apparel merchandising programs. The scarves, stadium throws and queen-sized trapper blankets are made of 100% South Dakota-grown wool.

RF Buche, fourth-generation grocer and president of South Dakota-based GF Buche Co., testified about efforts to tackle food insecurity before the House Rules Committee chaired by Representative James P. McGovern of Massachusetts.

Buche testified as part of a roundtable, “Ending Hunger in America: Food Insecurity in Rural America.” The discussion was the twelfth in a series of committee events highlighting the reality of food insecurity in America and examining the steps that Congress and the Biden administration can take to combat it.

Specifically, Buche discussed his company’s efforts to deliver food staples and other necessary products to remote places across the state, including reservation communities like Pine Ridge. He also highlighted their plan to install refrigerated food lockers in Marty, South Dakota in 2022.

In addition, Buche emphasized the need for congress to enforce anti-trust laws that ensure customers have the same access to products as dollar chains and big box stores. “During the pandemic, our wholesaler was forced to restrict allocations on certain products,” said Buche. “And that puts great stress on our rural
communities.”

McGovern heard from Buche and others on what efforts are being done to combat rural food security and expressed the committee’s desire to make sure the right assistance gets to the right people.

“Our stores are on or near reservations all across South Dakota, where the need for fresh, quality foods is the greatest,” said Buche.

“Finding new ways to serve and support our reservation communities has always been
near and dear to my heart.”

About 40% of the families living on Pine Ridge experience food insecurity according to the American Journal of Public Health. “Getting access to better food for our friends and neighbors there is truly a public health goal,” said Buche.

You can watch the full video here or see RF Buche’s portion here.

Dueling Duo will be performing on New Year’s Eve at the Arrowwood Resort and Conference Center in Oacoma, South Dakota during their New Year’s Eve Dinner and Party.  For tickets on can call (605) 734-6376.