South Dakota State University (SDSU) Extension is offering a virtual Better Choices, Better Health SD (BCBH-SD) Chronic Disease Self-Management Program Lay Leader Training Aug. 19 to Sept. 30. The training will be held Mondays and Thursdays from 2:30 to 5 p.m. CDT over Zoom.

“Becoming a BCBH-SD lay leader and facilitating workshops is an excellent opportunity to stay on track with your own health as you teach valuable self-management skills to people with chronic conditions,” says SDSU Extension Nutrition Field Specialist Megan Jacobson. “No teaching experience or health care background is necessary to become a BCBH-SD lay leader. In fact, research shows that the best facilitators are those who are living with chronic conditions.”

To become a certified BCBH-SD Lay Leader, participants must attend the full virtual training offered over seven weeks (two weekly sessions/each two-and-a-half hours). They must have reliable internet and a computer with audio and visual capability. Also, participants must show a willingness to follow a detailed leader’s manual and demonstrate a mastery of the facilitation skills by the end of the training.

“Once these requirements are met, you will be paired with an experienced leader to facilitate a workshop within one year of the training as the final step of certification,” Jacobson says. “After certification, we ask that you facilitate at least one workshop per year, and workshops meet for two- and-a-half hours per session for six weeks.”

According to Jacobson, there are a variety of cross-training opportunities for active BCBH-SD leaders in additional BCBH-SD chronic disease self-management education (CDSME) curriculums, including: the Chronic Pain Self-Management Program, Diabetes Self-Management Program, Cancer: Surviving and Thriving, Worksite Chronic Disease Self-Management Program and Tomando Control de su Salud.

The BCBH-SD suite of CDSME curriculums has been approved as a training program for lay leaders to work, providing a service of the Community Health Worker (CHW) Scope of Work in regard to reimbursement. Additionally, certificate-level CHWs can also train to be a lay leader to expand the services they offer to the communities they serve.

Jacobson says the feedback from current BCBH-SD lay leaders has been enthusiastic.

“We had a BCBH-SD Lay Leader from Aberdeen tell us, ‘I love participating in such a positive environment. It is so refreshing to feel like you are making a difference,'” Jacobson says.

To apply for BCBH-SD Lay Leader training, visit the SDSU Extension Events page (extension.sdstate.edu/events). After applications are received, participants will be contacted to set up a Zoom interview. During the interview, BCBH-SD will review leader expectations and training details and provide the opportunity to address any questions. After the interview, to complete registration, participants will be sent required paperwork and online payment information (sponsored volunteer leaders only).

For more information, contact BCBH-SD at BetterChoices.BetterHealth@sdstate or 888-484-3800.

South Dakota State University (SDSU) Extension and South Dakota 4-H invite youth involved in 4-H Shooting Sports across the state to apply to be on the 2022 4-H Shooting Sports teams. These teams will represent South Dakota 4-H Shooting Sports at the 2022 4-H Shooting Sports National Championships in Grand Island, Nebraska June 26–July 1, 2022.

“We are looking for team members for the 4-H Recurve Archery team and the 4-H Hunting Skills team,” says John Keimig, SDSU Extension Youth Safety Field Specialist. “While a basic comfort level in shooting sports is essential, prior experience in these competitions would also be beneficial.”

2022 Hunting Team Application

The Hunting Skills contest is a skill-and-knowledge-based contest. Animal identification (wings, fur and habitat), orienteering and hunting knowledge (based on the National Rifle Association (NRA) hunting guide) is tested, as well as shooting ability. The 2022 hunting contest includes 3D (archery), sporting clays (shotgun) and paper animal targets (rifle). A basic comfort level with all three disciplines would be helpful, but is not required.

2022 Recurve Archery Team

The Recurve Archery team competes in three areas at Nationals. They will shoot a FITA round, a field archery round and will shoot a set of 3D archery targets at unknown distances. Past experience and proficiency with a recurve bow are helpful, as well as experience shooting the competition formats that are mentioned above.

Youth should include a reference letter from one of their shooting sports coaches with the application. The application can be found on the SDSU Extension listing for this event. (extension.sdstate.edu/event/2022-hunting-team-application).

Applications are due Sept. 9, 2021 to the State 4-H Office, Attn: John Keimig, Berg Agricultural Hall 128 Box 2207E, SDSU, Brookings, SD 57007. Selected team members will be notified by Nov. 1, 2021.

For more information contact Keimig at 605-688-5575 or John.Keimig@sdstate.edu.

Join St. John’s Lutheran Youth as a vendor or shopper in the Gregory/Dallas Chamber’s annual Arts in the Park on Saturday, September 11th from 2:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. This event features only homemade and hand crafted items and garden produce being sold from 2:00to 6:00 p.m. BankWest then hosts a variety of games and bouncy houses for the kids, buggy rides, soup tasting, and music from 5-7.

On the scenic view of Edgemont, South Dakota overlooking the Cheyenne River valley; young & seasoned producers learned together and experienced four days of interacting with pastures, plants, nature, classroom, and outdoor assignments.  The Ranching for Profit Young Adult School was held on July 13^th through 16^th was open to ages 16 – 26.

Mornings at Sunrise Ranch, with classroom information, presented by Dallas Mount, of Ranching for Profit.  In addition to the 42 young producers, a handful of group leaders supported delivering the school content.  Group leaders included members of the SDGC board and experienced producers and educators.  SDGC board member Riley Kammerer referred to the school as a “slam dunk success”, he also went on to add that it was the highlight of his year.  He shared when he first learned of a young adult program, he knew the SDGC had to do it.

With support from the SDGC board, Nature Conservancy and Sunrise Ranch, the school is the first young adult focused effort by the SDGC.  Aligning with the mission of SDGC “to promote good stewardship of grasslands through sustainable and profitable management”. The school covered topics like simplifying ranch financials, working with nature for a regenerative ranch, making people a priority in ranching, and the benefits of having a network in ranch management.

To further teach these concepts and mission, the school afternoon sessions included tours and students visited Sunrise Ranch with Mark Hollenbeck in Edgemont, SD, the Kurt Barker Ranch, and the 43 Ranch, both near Lusk Wyoming.  Observing broader sense of how the techniques and working in the ranching checking water, fixing fence, stocking of cattle, day to day chores that are important.  Youth also learned the difference between ranch work and ranch management, considered about “working on the business” and “in the business”.  This proved to be taught to one student, when the feedback about the school included: “The biggest waste of time is doing something efficiently that should not have been done at all.”

Additional feedback from those participating was incredibly positive, some of the comments include: “Young people should go to this school because there are opportunities and learning skills that every rancher needs to have to be successful. What I got out of this was knowledge organizing profit, production, and learning of human resources.” Another student shared “I got a whole new understanding of profit and how I can calculate my overheads, direct costs, gross margins and profit. I think as I move on in my business this school will stay with me and help me make good decisions in life. I recommend this school to all who have a ranching farming business or who want to be successful in life. I enjoyed all the people who taught me, and I would like to come back again.”

The South Dakota Grassland Coalition plans to hold this school again in 2022, the second week in July.  Mark your calendars of sign up early!

Upcoming SDGC events include Grassland Management School – July 27th & 28th, New East River Grazing School August 11^th -13^th, Pasture Walks in August & Chamberlain Grazing School September 14-16^th.  More information is available on the SDGC website www.sdgrass.org or by contacting Dan Rasmussen, the SDGC Educator at 605-685-3315

U.S. Representative Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.) announced South Dakota’s second annual Congressional App Challenge (CAC), an app competition for middle and high school students.

The CAC was established by Congress to encourage young people to learn coding and to inspire them to pursue a career in STEM. Students of all skill levels are encouraged to participate in the competition, no previous coding experience is required.

The App Challenge’s student submission portal is now open. Applications must be submitted by November 1^st. The CAC accepts computer programs (or apps) written in any programming language (C, C++, JavaScript, Python, Ruby, “block code,” etc.), for any platform (desktop/PC, web, mobile, etc.). Students may register as individuals or as teams of up to four students.

Winners will be selected by a panel of Computer Science teachers in South Dakota and honored by South Dakota’s Congressional office. Winning apps will be featured on display in the U.S. Capitol and on the CAC website.

“The Congressional App Challenge was created because Congress recognized the growing skills gap in the STEM field,” said Johnson. “To maintain American competitiveness, it’s crucial that we invest in our youth now and help them acquire these valuable skills. I’m looking forward to recognizing talented young coders and developers in South Dakota.”

Winners will be announced in December. For more information about the CAC or to register for the competition, please visit www.CongressionalAppChallenge.us.

South Dakota State University (SDSU) Extension in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) Des Moines District Office is providing a learning opportunity for all who are interested in food safety and public health. The SDSU – Des Moines District Food Safety Summit will be held Wednesday, Aug. 4 in Brookings, South Dakota.

“The goal of the summit is to educate, exchange information and open the lines of communication between the different segments of industry, public health officials and regulatory agencies,” says Amanda Blair, Professor and SDSU Extension Meat Science Specialist.

Topics of discussion will be:

• Sustainable alternatives for poultry food safety
• Egg Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points (HACCP)
• Adulterated product monitoring and recalls
• New swine inspection system
• FSIS updates

The summit will be held in Room 126 of the SDSU Animal Science Complex, located at 1097 N. Campus Drive. Registration will be from 8 to 8:30 a.m. CDT, and the summit will conclude at 3:30 p.m. Alternatively, participants will have the option to attend the summit virtually this year.

Registration may be completed online on the SDSU Extension Events page (extension.sdstate.edu/events) or by contacting Blair at Amanda.Blair@sdstate.edu. A fee of $35 per person is required to cover the cost of handouts, lunch, parking and miscellaneous expenses for on-site participation, as well as the cost of handouts and a USB flash drive containing the presentations for virtual attendees. The USB flash drive will be available for purchase by on-site participants for an additional $5.

A confirmation letter, including local hotel accommodations and parking information, will be sent once registration information is received. Registration closes Aug. 3.

Governor Kristi Noem and the South Dakota Department of Game, Fish & Parks (GFP) have announced the results of the 2021 Nest Predator Bounty Program. 53,642 total nest predator tails were turned in by 2,773 participants. The Nest Predator Bounty Program reduces local nest predator populations as a way to enhance pheasant and duck nest success.

“South Dakota is one of the only states that hunts our state bird. The nest predator bounty program began in 2019 as a key component of my Second Century Initiative,” said Governor Kristi Noem. “It’s a great way to encourage youth and families to get outside and ensure trapping remains a part of South Dakota’s long-standing outdoor heritage. And it’s leading to higher nest success, which means more beautiful ringnecks for our hunters.”

2021 marked the third year of the program. A total of 81,000 tails were turned in between 2019 and 2020. The strong 2020 pheasant season proved the success of the program, so the bounty was doubled this year to $10 per-tail.

In 2021, 29% of the program participants were under the age of 18, up from 16% in 2020. These 812 South Dakota youth handed in 12,108 tails. 91% of all tails were turned in East River. Each week, a drawing was held for youth participating in the program. Winners of the drawing received three live traps, a trapping booklet, and a knife. Photos of drawing winners can be found here.

For more information on the Nest Predator Bounty Program, visit gfp.sd.gov.

During a phone call between Governor Kristi Noem and SkyWest CEO Chip Childs, both parties discussed their strong partnership and SkyWest’s continued commitment to service in the Pierre and Watertown markets.  

“With fall pheasant season approaching, South Dakota appreciates SkyWest’s commitment to the Pierre and Watertown markets for the foreseeable future. The high-quality air service they provide enhances our state’s tourism numbers and economic growth,” said Governor Kristi Noem. “We will continue urging the U.S. Department of Transportation to re-bid these routes and hope that SkyWest will be recognized for the excellent service that they provide.”  

“We appreciate the outpouring of support from customers and state and local officials, and we continue to look forward to a positive resolution from the DOT,” said SkyWest President & CEO Chip Childs. “We have appreciated Governor Noem’s personal engagement and today we are pleased to reaffirm our commitment to providing United Express flights to Pierre and Watertown for the foreseeable future.”  

Governor Noem previously urged U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg to re-bid the Essential Air Service contracts in both Pierre and Watertown. Governor Noem believes that the contract should be awarded to SkyWest based on a strong record of service and performance. You can read that letter here. 

Since July 1, 2021, when SkyWest’s current Essential Air Service contract concluded, SkyWest has continued to outperform its competitors in enplanements at both the Pierre and Watertown airports. 

“SkyWest makes it easier for South Dakotans to travel anywhere in the world, and they bring visitors here to our beautiful state. I am proud to work with their team to continue serving our great state,” Gov. Noem said. 

The City of Winner will meet tonight at 6:30 p.m. in Council Chambers.  The City of Chamberlain will meet  tonight at 6:00 p.m. at the Chamberlain City Offices.  The City of Gregory will meet as well this evening at 6:00 p.m. at the Gregory City Hall.