Over the next two months, the South Dakota State University (SDSU) Extension Community Vitality team will be bringing South Dakotans together virtually for a community book read. After two widely popular book discussion series with much discussion and debate, the organization will be offering a third statewide book read beginning Nov. 23.

“The Growing Season: How I Built a New Life—and Saved an American Farm,” by Sarah Frey, will be the focus of the November/December book read. The youngest of 21 children, Frey grew up on a struggling farm in southern Illinois. At 15, she started her own fresh produce delivery business out of an old pickup truck. Two years later she took over the family farm and started doing business with the largest grocery retailers in the country.

Frey’s story is one of never giving up, negotiating with some of the biggest businesses in the nation and building a company that serves consumers with fresh, healthy products. Today Frey Farms is the nation’s leading producer of pumpkins, earning Frey the nickname “America’s Pumpkin Queen.”

“This book represents issues that impact every South Dakotan; issues of food and the livelihoods of farmers in the community,” says Leigh Neys, SDSU Extension Community Vitality Field Specialist. “South Dakotans will connect virtually to discuss the book and think about the lessons learned that can be applied in our own communities.”

The book read will be held Tuesday evenings on Nov. 23 and 30 and Dec. 7. The facilitated discussions will be held over Zoom, which is readily available and free to individuals with internet capabilities. The timeframe will be 7:30 p.m. CDT (6:30 p.m. MT), with an hour of interaction. Interested parties should register by Nov. 15 to receive the link to join the discussion.

There is no registration fee; participants only need to purchase the book in advance of the start date. There will be a cap to the number of participants, with a plan to offer another book read in the winter.

To register, visit the SDSU Extension Community Book Read event page (extension.sdstate.edu/event/community-virtual-book-read-0) or contact Neys at Leigh.Neys@sdstate.edu; Peggy Schlechter SDSU Extension Community Vitality Field Specialist at Peggy.Schlecter@sdstate.edu; or Kari O’Neill, SDSU Extension Community Vitality Program Manager at Kari.Oneill@sdstate.edu.

The South Dakota Retailers Association is launching a new cash incentive designed to address the workforce shortage in retail, restaurants, hospitality, grocery, trades, and many other businesses. Individuals from out-of-state who come to work in South Dakota can receive a $1,000 workforce incentive.

This $1,000 cash payment from the Retailers Association would supplement any hiring bonuses or other incentives offered by an individual business.

“We know that workforce is the number one issue facing businesses in South Dakota,” said Retailers Association Executive Director Nathan Sanderson. “As workers around the country look to South Dakota as a new place to call home, we hope this incentive will make our great state even more attractive.”

The $1,000 workforce incentive will be paid directly to an employee hired from out-of-state to work in a Retailers Association member-business. To be eligible, an employee must work at least 30 hours per week for 90 days at a physical location in South Dakota.

“Individuals around the country are looking for attractive places to work and great places to live and raise their families,” Sanderson added. “South Dakota businesses have a variety of great career opportunities, and we hope this incentive helps businesses and workers alike.”

Additional eligibility details are available at www.sdra.org.

The Winner City Council will have their regular meeting tonight at the Winner City Council Chambers located at 325 South Monroe Street at 6:30 p.m.  Please note the Winner City Council meets on the first and third Monday of each month.

The Gregory City Council will hold their regular meeting tomorrow night (Monday, November 1st) at 6:00 p.m. at Gregory City Hall located at 120 West 6th Street.  Please note the Gregory City Council meets on the first and third Monday of each month.

Governor Kristi Noem and First Gentleman Bryon Noem will host the annual trick-or-treat festivities at the Governor’s Residence in Pierre on Sunday, Oct. 31 from 5:00 to 6:30 p.m. CT.

“We can’t wait to see all the kids in their costumes once again! It may be a bit chilly out, so be sure to dress warmly,” said Governor Kristi Noem.

Noem asks children and parents across South Dakota to observe the following Halloween safety tips:

·         Trick-or-treat during daylight hours or take a flashlight if going out after dark;

·         Add reflective tape to costumes and trick-or-treat bags;

·         Make sure vision is clear when wearing masks or other head garb;

·         Adults should accompany young children; unaccompanied children should trick-or-treat in groups; and

·         Inspect candy before consuming; discard anything suspicious.

The Holiday Preview in Valentine, Nebraska is set for Sunday, November 21st from 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. Santa will be at Viaero from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. The Valentine Chamber will have the Holiday Punch Card promotion as well. Shoppers can pick up their cards at any participating location, and then proceed to each location on the card to get their stamp or mark. They will have all week to get their card filled, and then turn them in at any of those locations for a chance to win $500 in Chamber Bucks. Plans are also in the works to have Christmas carolers scattered around town.

The Gregory Tree Lighting event will take place this year on Tuesday, November 6th from 5:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Main Street. It will consist of n evening of Shopping, a visit from  Santa Claus , Customer Appreciation sales around toen, Christmas Promotion starts and Kid’s Chamber Bucks.

Cattle feeders from South Dakota, Minnesota and northwest Iowa are invited to attend an Interstate Cattle Feeders Day Dec. 7 at the Holiday Inn Express Event Center in Brandon, South Dakota. Sponsored by South Dakota State University (SDSU) Extension and the University of Minnesota (UMN) Extension, the program will feature several timely topics addressing key feedlot production issues.

Topics and speakers include:

• “Re-thinking Forage Use in the Feedlot,” Zachary Smith, SDSU Assistant Professor
• “COVID, Drought and Black Swans: What’s Next and What Have We Learned?” Warren Rusche, Assistant Professor and SDSU Extension Feedlot Specialist
• “Water Requirements and Water Quality in the Feedlot,” John Wagner, Professor, Feedlot Nutrition and Management, Colorado State University
• “How Little Distillers Do We Actually Need?” Alfredo DiCostanzo, Professor and UMN Extension Animal Scientist

The program begins at 5:30 p.m. CDT with registration and will conclude around 9 p.m. A beef supper is included with the $30 registration.

To pre-register, please visit the SDSU Extension Events page. For more information, please contact Rusche at Warren.Rusche@sdstate.edu or DiCostanzo at Dicos001@umn.edu.

South Dakota State University (SDSU) Extension and the SDSU Southeast Research Farm will host a seminar for growers interested in soil health, regenerative agriculture and livestock inclusion in these systems. The 2021 Managing Soil: Maximizing Profit Conference is set for Dec. 7 and will take place at the Yankton Archery Complex Community Center, located at 800 Archery Lane in Yankton. The SDSU Southeast Research Farm will also hold its annual meeting that day.

“Soil is the backbone of agricultural operations, and this meeting strives to combine sustainable/regenerative agriculture with farm business management,” says SDSU Extension Agronomy Field Specialist Sara Bauder.

Registration begins at 8:45 a.m. CDT, with the program kicking off at 9:15 a.m.

• 9:15 a.m. — “Farming With Intention,” Joshua Dukart, North Dakota Ranch Manager and Certified Educator of Holistic Management
• 10:30 a.m. — Break
• 10:45 a.m. — “A Look at Cropping Patterns and Profits,” Peter Sexton, Associate Professor and SDSU Extension Sustainable Cropping Systems Specialist; and Jack Davis, SDSU Extension Crops Business Management
• 11:15 a.m. — “Soil Carbon and Economics,” Nick Jorgensen, CEO/CFO of Jorgensen Land and Cattle, Ideal, South Dakota
• 11:45 a.m. — “Cereal Rye Between Corn and Soybeans: Pros and Cons,” David Karki, SDSU Extension Agronomy Field Specialist
• 12:15 p.m. — Lunch
• 12:45 p.m. — SDSU Southeast Research Farm Annual Business Meeting
• 1 p.m. — “Using Cover Crops in an Integrated Livestock-Cropping System: Assessing Soil Health and Livestock Production,” Kevin Sedivec, North Dakota State University Professor and Rangeland Management Specialist
• 2 p.m. — “Farmer Panel: Cover Crop Grazing on Croplands,” Bruce Carlson, Garretson, South Dakota; Jim Kettelhut, Pukwana, South Dakota; and Joshua Dukart, Hazen, North Dakota
• 3 p.m. — Break
• 3:10 p.m. — “Cover Crops Grazing and Soil Health: Can You Have Your Cake and Eat It Too?” Mary Drewnoski, University of Nebraska-Lincoln Associate Professor and Beef Systems Specialist
• 4 p.m. — Survey and wrap-up

Educational credits (CEU’s) will be available for Certified Crop Advisers. The registration fee for the conference is $20. Participants are asked to RSVP by Nov. 29 on the SDSU Extension Events page (extension.sdstate.edu/event/managing-soil-maximizing-profit-conference) or by calling 605-995-7378.

A regular meeting of the Chamberlain School District #7-1 Board of Education will be held tonight 7:00 P.M. at the High School Media Center.  Please note the Chamberlain School Board meeting on the second and fourth Monday of each month.